Moments Like This
by shawn-n-belle
Summary: Carter was so much more than simply just 'bait girl', in Rosie's eyes. Now she is the wife of the queen of Costa Luna. But where does loyalty stand when true love is tested? Carter/Rosie. Rosie/OC PERMANENT HIATUS
1. Prologue

**This is just the prologue because I wanted to give you guys the feel of the story, just to see how you reacted before I actually continued with the chapters. This is an obvious future fic, involving the relationship between Carter and Rosie. It's femslash, but I suppose you guys already knew that since I've been waiting Demi and Selena together for like a year and half now. (: **

**Summary: **Carter was so much more than simply just 'bait girl', in Rosie's eyes. Now she is the wife of the queen of Costa Luna. But where does loyalty stand when true love is tested?

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I am simply borrowing them from their original storyline. Nothing was profited from this creation.**

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"You are not even listening to me!" She raises her voice at me, pushing her fingers through her hair as an aggravated shriek escapes from her lips. My only reaction was to roll my eyes, how could stand there and tell me that _I_ wasn't listening to _her_?! She was the one who brushed away everything that I was saying like I was some type of idiot, she was the one who thought that I was just being jealous and insecure. I heard every word that she said to me, every word that she said to Emily, even the ones that she didn't say and those were the ones that hurt the most.

"Why should I?! It's not like you are listening to me!" I yell back, turning my head to the side as my hand curves perfectly at my waist. I felt the tears forming in my dark eyes but I refuse them to fall, she wasn't going to break me down, I was not about to let her have the satisfactory of seeing me cry once again. This fight had occurred one to many times, and every single time that she raises her voice to me, the tears start rolling down my cheeks and we both simply brush this off as two raging tempers saying things that we didn't mean. But I was not about to give into her this time, I wasn't about to let my stupid feelings get in the way of me standing up for myself.

"You are not being fair! She is just trying to help me control my country, she has done no wrong! She has done nothing for you to behave this way toward her, she has been there for me more than you have lately, so do not stand here and tell me about how horrible she is or how she is trying to manipulate me into giving up my country. Maybe you are just jealous, because she certainly has no interest in me, she is simply doing what she was hired to do!" She exclaims, her voice growing louder and my heart twists in my chest. She has always referred to Costa Luna as _our _country ever since she lived with us, but it was suddenly quite clear that she had already drawn the line separating me from her life. I stare down at my converses, the tears suddenly breaking free from the dam I thought I had built in my eyes and I hear her let out a saddened sigh. I look up at her, through the tears in my eyes and I can't help but wonder was this what was always destined for the two of us.

"And I am just trying to save _our_marriage!" I replied, stepping toward her and suddenly there is silence. Neither one of us dare to speak, instead her dark brown eyes collide with my own and I can't breathe. My chest expands in search of oxygen as I dare not to break the gaze, my heart racing erratically in my chest. There was always something about her that made me let her back in, that made me let my walls down and forgive her the instant that she stepped into the room. Yet this time it wasn't about something as simple as her forgetting to call, or showing up a hour late for our dinner, this time she betrayed _us_ and our vows.

"Do not do this, Carter. Do not make me choose between you and Emily," She pleads, gnawing on her bottom lip softly as she shook her head. It doesn't take long before she breaks our gaze and she stares absently at the golden band that I had placed on her finger a few months before. We stood in front of God and every body and promised that we would love each other until death do us part, that we would love no other and put nothing first but each other. Was it a lie then just as it was now? I chuckle as I sniffle hard, licking my dry lips before I spoke.

"Why? Because you would pick Emily and Costa Luna over me?" I ask with a playful snort but she says nothing. Instead of her telling me that she would never do that, saying that I was the best thing that ever happened to her and she would never _ever_ betray me for Emily or this country, she allows the silence to fall around us in crashing, heart breaking, waves. Finally, she glances up at me, the tears in her eyes and I can't help but allow a sick chuckle to escape from my lips; I was more than grateful it wasn't a sob.

"God, you _actually_ would, wouldn't you? You would chose Emily and this stupid island over your damn wife! Ha, why am I not surprised? It's not like you have given yourself fully to this marriage from the beginning, Costa Luna has always been between us and I don't know why I thought I could change that! You want this damn island and _her_so bad? Well fine! You know what, Rosalinda?! You can have them. You can have this country, you can have Emily, you can have it all! Take my ring, take my crown, take everything that I own because I do not want a damn thing to do with you anymore. As far as I am concerned this marriage is over, I'll tell the people that I am stepping down as their queen and Emily will take over. And when this all blows up in your face and you see Emily for what she really is, you are going to wish that you listened to me, but it's going to be just a little too late! You chose this so I hope that you are happy," I exclaimed, pulling my ring off as I threw it at her, watching as she flinches at the sudden action. She stares at me in complete surprise as my face crumbles and the sobs erupt from my lips, "I loved you with my whole heart, but that was never enough for you, was it?" I cry as I turn to leave, but her fingers wrap around my wrist and she pulls me back to her, _hard_. I shake my head as I face her, noticing the tears that were spilling down her own perfect cheeks and I wish that it was enough to make me forgive her.

"Carter, wait. Please _do not _do this," She pleads and I simply shake my head, pulling away from her.

"I'm tired of waiting, Rosie. I shouldn't have to come second to this island, I shouldn't have to beg you to believe me that Emily is trying to manipulate you into giving this island to her, I shouldn't have to fight to have you on my side. You are _my_ wife, that should count more than anything. When it does, come find me. I'll be waiting for you," I whispered, kissing her softly upon the cheek, smiling as I walked away. I listened to her shaky breaths as I closed the door behind me, cupping my hand over my mouth as I fell to the floor in sobs. How could this happen to us?

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**Review? Please? **


	2. One: You Are Everything I Am

**Holy crap! 30 reviews for just the prologue?! Oh my God, you guys! I think I am literally going to cry! That is the most reviews one chapter of my stories has ever gotten and not just that but the stats were through the roof as well! I wanted to take this moment to just say that I am touched by every one's response to this story, you all are amazing. (: And because of that, I updated again. **

**So this goes back to a few months before the prologue happened. It's not dramatic, mostly just fluff and the back story to them. But. But. You get to meet Emily! Yeah, you guys are going to hate her eventually, might as well start now. Ha. Anyways, enjoy this. I worked hard for it.**

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Sitting next to me was the most beautiful woman in the world, but I could be a little biased, I mean she is after all _my _wife. My heart fluttered at the thought of us being married, it was still so new to me, and it still took my breath away to know that we were bound together for all eternity. Just a few short weeks ago we stood on the banks of Aruba, promising that we would love each other for the rest of our lives, that we would not let any one come between us and we would be together forever. I can still see her standing in her delicate gown with the breeze blowing through her dark brown curls and the bright smile upon her face. I can still taste her lips upon mine when the judge pronounced us wife and wife, I can still hear the way our families erupted in a round of applause as we pulled away. It felt so amazing to know that she and I were going to be together forever now, with no exceptions. Our souls were bound together for all eternity and I would not have it any other way. I finally had my happily ever after that I so desperately deserved in a form of my very own queen.

I can still remember the day that I bounced up the stairs in search of my father to find her sitting on the bed opposite of mine, looking around in such amazement that someone could live in such a small place. She was so out of place in Lake Monroe but she took on normal life with such grace and pride that I couldn't help but watch her in such wonder. She fell right into place in school, she was one of the smartest kids in our class, speaking six different languages and making teachers swoon over her intelligence. She didn't get angry when Chelsea set her up in the Yogurt shop, she didn't try to fight back, instead she only turned the other cheek. She knew exactly how to get Donny to pine over her, just for her to tell him that she was not interested in him. She knew exactly what to say when she was elected home coming queen, she finally let her walls down that night and let every one see how amazing she was inside. She wasn't even afraid when she came face to face with the man who tried to steal her country away from her, she didn't even dare flinch when he held me in his arms and she was more than grateful when my father came to our rescue. She held me in her arms, crying about how I would actually do that for her and how she could have lost me. She never knew that I would have given up in my life in a second for her that night because even then, she held every piece of my heart.

She squeezes my hand softly, catching my attention as I look at her with a bashful smile. I wanted so bad to hate her when my father moved her in with us, I wanted to hate her for having Donny swoon after her just for her to tell him that she didn't want to be with him, I wanted to hate her for having everything that I ever wanted. Yet every time that she looked at me with those big brown eyes, every time that she smiled with the blush creeping into her cheeks, every time that she tried her hardest to be normal, I fell in love with her a little more. It was nearly three years ago that we finally got together and we have been going strong ever since, nothing has dared to slow us down.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks, playing with my fingers softly, smiling as she slips her fingers through the golden band that she placed upon my finger. I couldn't help but wonder if she always knew that this was going to happen, if she knew that from the second that I stepped into my room wearing ball shorts and a t-shirt that she was going to spend the rest of her life with me. I sigh as I softly play with her light arm hair, allowing my eyes to meet with her own and it takes me a moment to catch my breath, but when I do, I chuckle weakly.

"I was thinking about how I almost lost you that night at homecoming. I was thinking about how if my father would have been a few minutes later, how if I had not tricked you into wearing that dress that you could have....he could have.." My voice trails off, the tears appearing in my eyes as the shaky breaths escape from my small body. She only smiles, placing her fingers to my lips and I kiss them softly. I watch as she shivers, closing her eyes for a moment as she swallows hard, trying desperately not to give into the desire that I knew was racing through her petite body at this exact moment. Instead she shakes it away with a roll of her shoulders before she softly plays with my brunette curl that escaped from behind my ear.

"But he was not, now was he? He knew that you were going to protect me because you cared about me, just like he did. He knew that you would do anything to make sure that I was safe, just like he would do anything to make sure that you were safe from harm as well. He came not only to protect me but you as well. And you were so amazing that night, you did not flinch when he took you, you did not cry, you did not even try to tell me that he was there. I never understood that about you, Carter. You were willing to give up your life for me and I was just some girl who came to live with you for a little while. Why did you do that? Why did you put yourself in danger for me?" She pleads, the sadness appearing in her voice as well. I reached forward, allowing my fingers to stroke her perfect cheek, the smile softly curling at the edge of my lips.

"Because I loved you. I couldn't let something bad happen to you, especially something like that. I had to protect you from him because you didn't deserve that, Rosie. You were finally happy in our stupid little town, you were normal and you didn't have to worry about the crown or being a princess. I thought it was a fair trade, he got the bait girl while you had your night in the spotlight. Besides, if I let him take you, my life would be nothing. My life _is_ nothing without you. I had to save you from him even if it cost me my life because I was in love with you and I would rather see my own life end than to know that you were in pain," I whispered and she sniffles, a single tear falling down her cheek and I brush it away with my thumb as I softly place a kiss upon her lips. She smiles into the kiss, opening her mouth just slightly and I pulled away, batting my eyelashes with a bashful grin.

"You cease to amaze me, Carter Mason," She smiles and my heart flutters in my chest at the sound of my name. She leans in for another kiss, her lips crashing softly upon mine and it doesn't take long before we are both reacting to each other. Her fingers twist in my hair as she pulls me closer to her, my hand cups the back of her neck as we move together as if we are one person. My fingers softly slip down her petite body until they are on the inner part of her thigh, that was when she pulled away, much to my dismay. I looked at her with a wrinkled brow, sticking my tongue out as I rolled my eyes, leaning back against my seat, crossing my arms over my chest with a sigh.

"Tease," I grumbled and she laughs, placing her head upon my shoulder, snuggling close with me. It doesn't take long before I am playing with her hair, allowing my fingers to slip through her brown curls of innocence and I slowly feel my eyes beginning to close, "Rosalinda?" I mumble and she looks up at me, innocence sparkling in her eyes and I smile with a yawn, "you are the best thing that has ever happened to me." I whisper and I hear her sniffle with a laugh.

"You are such a mushball," She snorts with a laugh, placing a kiss upon my cheek before she rests her head upon my shoulder once again, allowing the silence of our car ride to fall around us. The night had fallen outside as we are heading home from our honeymoon, I knew better than to fall asleep when we were so close to being home, yet the sleep deprivation that were the effects of our actions in Aruba were slowly beginning to take effect on my body. I listen to her breath for a long while as I allow my eyes to close and before I drift into a state of unconsciousness I hear her whisper, "but you are _my _mushball." And I smile as I hold her a little tighter. She was certainly right, I was hers..._forever._

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I was awoken to the slowing down of our car and the warm body that was cuddled next to mine, slowly raised forward, with a groan. I watch as she stretches, pushing her arms above her head as her body trembles from the action. She softly scratchs behind her ear before she looks at me with a blushing grin and I only giggled.

"You are so cute sometimes," I cooed as I reached for her hand, allowing her fingers to slip easily through my own. I was amazed at how easily her hand fit in mine, how our fingers locked together so perfectly, it was a sure sign that we were soul mates. I never thought that this would happen to me, I always saw myself living in Lake Monroe for the rest of my life, working in that bait shop with my father until I was old enough to retire. I never thought that my father would go away on a mission and bring back the woman that I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Then again, when I saw her sitting on my other bed with her fingers intertwined around one another, I knew that nothing was ever going to be the same again. She smiles, bringing her face close to mine, just close enough so that I could feel her warm breath upon my face and my entire body ached for her touch.

"Not as cute as you," She smiles and I laugh as I kiss her. Her lips move swiftly against mine, she knows exactly what she is doing when she slips her bottom lip under my tongue trying to remain unnoticed. I push my body close to hers as a quiet moan escapes from my lips before I pull away with a blushing laugh and she only smirks. She pulls away from me as she opens her door, slowly slipping out in front of the large palace, dragging me out behind her. I was instantly amazed at the large building that stood in front of me, the windows that were tinted with a golden ray of light, it was at that moment, I knew that I was living a fairy tale.

"Mrs. Rosie! It's so good to see you!" A man called out to her as she breaks away from me. I watch as he wraps his arms around her, holding her tight as a warm laugh escaped from his lips and the jealousy rushed through my small body. He was a beautiful man who could not be older than us, his blue eyes sparkled against the dim moon light and suddenly I felt like I was watching Donny ask her to homecoming all over again, "where is this Mrs. Carter that the entire staff has been talking about?!" He asks clearly excited and Rosie smiles as she takes my hand in her own.

"Thomas this is my wife, Carter Mason. Carter, this is Thomas. He is our butler and he also happens to be my best friend. His father used to work with mine, so we spent a lot of time together when we were growing up," She explains with a simple nod of her head and the smile plays at her lips when my eyes meet hers. I say nothing, instead I only nod my head as I reached my hand out to him, it took him a moment but he finally took it.

"It's very nice to meet you," I smile and he nods his head, the smile spreading on his face.

"Likewise. Rosie always talked about you and how amazing you were. I was beginning to think that she made you up since none of us had ever really seen you. But now I know that you are real and you are just as beautiful as she described you to be. I know that Costa Luna is going to fall in love with you as their queen. Yet again, they love you already for making our dear Rosie so happy. We have been working non stop on preparing for your arrival. The master suit has currently been reinvented and we have prepared the most amazing dinner for you ladies if I do say so myself. So please, continue this way," He directs us as he disappears behind the wooden door. I wrinkle my brow as I look to the brunette who was smiling brightly at me, her eyes sparkling with admiration under the dark sky and she quickly wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me close to her.

"What do you think, Carter? Are you ready to be the wife of the queen of Costa Luna? Because once we step foot in that palace, I'm not just Rosie anymore but I am Rosalinda Mario Montoya Fiore Mason, and I am responsible for the people of my country," She asks with a tilt of her head, the playful smile now turned into a straight face and curiosity written in her dark orbs. I softly brush her hair away from her face, allowing my fingertips to touch her soft skin and I chuckle at how she shivers at the brief meeting of our skin.

"As long as I am with you, I really don't care who you are,"I reply and her familiar smile soon finds it's way back onto her face as she allows her lips to meet with mine briefly. She smiles pulling away as she takes my hand in her own, leading me into the large towering palace as if it was nothing new. I was quickly taken back by the beauty of the palace, of the hovering chandelier that waited for us in the foyer, of the winding stairwell that seemed to be made of pure marble. My breath was taken away by the sculptures that stood in the corners of our new home, of the paintings that decorated the walls, of every inch of hardwood flooring that seemed to stretch for miles. _This_ was a true fairy tale, "R-Rosie...oh my God. I-it's so beautiful. You live here?" I ask and she shakes her head softly, grabbing my leather jacket as she tugs me toward her.

"No. _We_ leave here," She smiles and my heart races in my chest as I look around in pure amazement, to dumbstruck to even speak. She giggles at my sudden quietness as she grabs my hand, slowly racing up the stairs, "if you think this is amazing, you need to see _our_ room!" She was like a little kid who just opened their Christmas present to find a brand new toy, I honestly was beginning to think that she was more excited than I was. I laughed as I stumbled up the stairs after her, following the chase until a warm voice stopped her.

"Mrs. Mason! Mrs. Mason, wait!" It was a female voice, obviously one who did not know Rosie as well as Thomas or I did. Rosie, much to my dismay, stops, turning to find where the voice came from. I groaned with a soft curse, as I turned as well to find a blond standing at the foot of the stairwell, her hair up in a messy pony tail and a dimple revealing smile upon her face, "I am so sorry about this. I know that it is your first night home with your new wife but we have some pressing matters that can not wait any longer, I promise it will not take much of your time. I would like to discuss some things with you, if you do not mind." She asks so politely and Rosie looks at me with a wrinkled brow as she stares at the young girl.

"Excuse me, I do not think that we have formally met before," Rosie shakes her head and the young girl quickly blushes.

"Oh my goodness, how terribly rude of me. I just barge in here and demand that you talk to me and you have no idea who I am or why I am even here. I apologize for my lack of manners. I am Emily Robbins, your mother hired me to help handle the oversee of Costa Luna. At least until the other Mrs. Mason truly understands the responsibilities of this country. It's so very nice to meet you," She coos and Rosie simply nods her head as she steps down toward the blond. I gnawed hard on the inside of my jaw as I watched Emily react with Rosie, the way that her face lit up at every little word that came out of her mouth, the way that her eyes twinkled with such innocence. There was something not entirely right here, with her, yet I simply brush it off as jealousy and impatience. After all, Rosie's mother would not directly put her in harms way on purpose.

"Emily. I truly appreciate everything that you have done for us, especially over the past few weeks that I have been absent from the thrown. Yet, it is late and I would love to spend the night with Carter. Can this possibly wait to the morning and we will handle it as soon as the morning comes?" Rosie asks so politely and the smile curls at my lips. How did I get this lucky to have her? Emily sighs as she stares at the paper on her clipboard, tapping her pencil against it before she looks up at her.

"I would really like to handle this as soon as possible. It is what is best for the country," Emily exclaims and Rosie sighs as she cradles her neck in her hands before she turns back to me, a sympathetic smile upon her face. I knew that smile, I knew that look, for I had received it many times in the years that I have known her. So to say the least, I was not surprised that I became a second to her country, but it was, after all, her duty.

"I promise, I will not take long, Carter. Then I will join you," She explains and I simply nod my head as I watch her disappear with Emily, discussing something very intently. That was the first night that Emily Robbins took my wife away from me, if only I had been aware that it would not be the last.

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I lay in the large, ironically queen, sized bed staring absently up at the ceiling, playing with the golden band upon my left hand. The cool breeze that blew through the open window was just enough to send chills up my tan arms and I tug softly at the shirt that swallowed my usually small and petite body. Even though I was married to a queen, I still dressed in my usual attire, my baseball shirt curved around my body, my ball shorts hugged perfectly around my hips, yet I wish that I was wearing something different tonight. I wish that I was wearing the sexiest lingerie, something to make me feel beautiful, something that made me feel like I deserved to be with Rosie, something that I wasn't feeling right now.

I sigh, rubbing my temple with my fingers as I glance at the clock, it was nearly a quarter past midnight. Exactly how late was this discussion going to last? I tried to not let my mind wonder to the gorgeous blond who wisked by wife away as soon as we stepped in the door, she was, after all, doing what was best for Costa Luna. She wanted to help Rosie create and rule the most amazing island in the world, to make Costa Luna _worth_ being noticed, but I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit uneasy when I saw them walking away, arms looped together as if they had known each other their entire lives instead of three seconds. Maybe it was jealousy, or maybe it was my impatience to carry my queen to her bed and have my way with her, either way I was no fan of Emily Robbins at this moment.

I pulled at the sheets that rest below my knees, pulling them up over my body as my eyes slowly began to close. I hated that we were going to spend our first night in her palace apart but I also understood that I would always come second to Costa Luna. This was who she was and I wasn't going to ask her to change it for me. I felt myself drifting into the welcoming state of unconsciousness when I heard the door softly open and close. I didn't open my eyes, instead I only let out another sigh with a quiet groan, trying desperately to fall asleep. Yet I couldn't. I felt the bed shift to the weight of a new body and I opened my eyes to find Rosie straddled over my body, an apologetic smile upon her face. I snort as I look away and she sighs, allowing her fingers to brush against my skin, before she leans down and kisses me. She makes it so hard to be mad at her, sometimes.

"I am so sorry. I tried to get out of the meeting as soon as possible but Emily just had so much that she needed clearance on and so much has happened since we left for Aurba. It's like I just walked into this position all over again. There is still so much that we did not get to discuss but I told her that we would cover it tomorrow because I missed my wife," She explains, balancing herself as she continues to sit, straddling me at my waist. I stare at a spot on the wall, counting her breaths for a moment before she begins to speak again, "please do not be mad." I looked into her dark brown eyes that were practically wet from tears that were caused from her thinking that I was upset with her and I only sighed.

"I'm not mad. I-I just...I don't want this to be what our marriage is like. I don't want to go to bed without you anymore. I don't want to be sitting up here while you are talking to Emily about this country, wondering if you are thinking of me or if you remember that we had a date. I know that Costa Luna is your life, Rosie and I'm not asking you to change it and put me first. I-I guess, I'm just asking that you include me in your life," I mumble, feeling so stupid for being insecure and selfish but I could not control the nagging feeling that twisted in the pit of my stomach. She stares at the golden ring on my hand for a moment before our eyes meet and there is a new passion held in her dark brown orbs.

"You are the biggest part of my life. Costa Luna is who I am but it is not _all_ I am. I am sorry that we did not get to formally spend our first night in our palace together, I wish that I could change that for us. But I promise you that I am never going to leave you in this bed alone again, especially not for Emily Robbins. You are my wife and you are the most important thing that I have because even after I step down as Queen, you are still going to be here. Y-You are still going to be here, right?" She stutters and I smug a warm grin as I roll my eyes.

"Yes, I'm still going to be here. I didn't just marry you because you are the queen of some island. I married you because I was in love with you, I still am and I always will be. I'm sorry if I am being insecure and selfish, I just don't want to share you," I whisper, reaching forward as I brush a curl away from her face, allowing my hand to cup around her neck where I scratched softly, watching as her face turned into pleasured expression. She softly pushes her lips against mine, allowing her tongue to brush against my bottom lip but I do not grant her entrance, instead I pull away and she groans, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"I hate you!" She shrieks, punching me playfully in the shoulder and I stare up at her innocently. How was it possible that I get to spend the rest of my life with her. Isn't queen's supposed to be with the most charming men of their country? Shouldn't she have found her prince charming at some royal ball when she was sixteen years old? Why, on earth, would she chose to be with 'bait girl'?

"That doesn't work now," I mumble and the smile slides off her face as she softly strokes my cheek with her thumb.

"In that case, I love you, Carter Mason. And that is never going to change," She explains and I pull her hard against me, our lips colliding together in a passionate kiss. There was nothing shy nor quiet about it, was fierce and understood, both of us battling for dominance. I finally give into her, allowing her tongue to curl around my teeth as I pull away, laboring hard for a breath and a chuckle escapes me.

"I love you too, Rosalinda Mario Montoya Fiore Mason. Always and forever," I whisper as our lips find their way together again. Our bodies move together as one as our legs became a tangled hot mess, hands discarding clothes as lips trailed discreet parts of our bodies. Entrances were granted to usually private body parts as our moves were as smooth as velvet, both understood and wanted. Being with her tonight was the happy ending that I had been searching for my entire life of tragedy, she was the princess that I was meant to ride into the sunset with. For once, I was _happy_.

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**Review? Please? You spoiled me last chapter, remember that. (;**


	3. Two: I'm Falling More In Love With You

**Holy heavens! I love you guys so unbelievably much. Like, I literally want to hug and kiss every one of you. Every time I look at this story, it just continues to make me more aware of how amazing you guys are. And how many of you love Selena/Demi pairing just as much as I do. I'm so grateful that this story is being reacted to as well as it is, I was actually afraid that you guys would hate it. Shows what I know. Anyway, I _suck_** **at updating, I've mentioned it before. And it's probably going to get worse since my school is starting soon. blah. **

**Emily haters: ha, well, there's another opportunity to be hatin' on Emily Robbins in this chapter. (: But I promise, she is not all bad. **

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I hated waking up from dreams, I hated the feeling of crashing back into reality after the long absence from the things that stress you. I hated the way that your mind struggled to stay away from reality, how it feels like you're crashing back into your body after experiencing the most amazing feeling of your life, the way that your eyes can't even bother to open themselves, like a ton of bricks are sitting on top of your face. Needless to say, I was most certainly _not _a morning person so when I felt myself starting to wake up from one of the best dreams of my entire life, I was less than happy. I groan, pushing my face farther into the pillow, breathing in her intoxicating amazing scent and a smile curled at my lips. Today I was waking up in her palace as her wife, everything was finally coming together for the two of us and I couldn't stop the stupid grin from spreading across my face.

I groan, wiping my eyes with my fist, as a soft yawn suppresses it's way upon my pink lips. I chuckle at the lack of sleep that I got last night, I was to mesmorized by the brunette that lay next to me with her arm around my waist. I toss in the bed to find her side of the bed empty, her sheets unwrinkled, her blankets now wrapped around my body. I wrinkled my brow, spreading my fingers out across the empty sheets, it was cold, meaning that she had been out of bed for a long while now. Why? What had brought her from my bed? God, we hadn't been home _together_ in a really long time and now she's gone from my sight once again. I could only hope that this would not become a trending habit for the queen of Costa Luna, because I wasn't so sure if I could stay in a marriage where I only saw my wife before I went to sleep every night. I saw what it did to my parents, I saw what happened after my mother died, I saw how it broke my dad and I wasn't about to let that happen to us. I loved Rosie far to much to let her slip away for even one second. Yet, Costa Luna would always be far more important than I, and I knew that before I got into this relationship. I knew that she had her job as Queen and I had my job protecting her, but I only hoped that our relationship would not succumb to just that.

I hide my face in the palm of my hands, closing my eyes tightly. Since when did I become so jealous? I was never this way before with any one else but when it came to my Rosie, I didn't want to even think of a second when she wasn't with me, talking to me, making me fall even harder in love with her. When did I become such a _girl_?! I, Carter Mason, was never the mushy, romantic, you're-mine-forever type but Rosie changed everything for me. She opened my eyes to a world that I didn't even know existed, she showed me things that were more beautiful than words could ever express, she made my heart twist and turn in so many different knots that I wasn't sure if it could ever be normal again. Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fiore Mason was my life now, as mushy and cliche as that sounded so that meant that I would just have to deal with the absence of her in our relationship. The door creaked open and I peaked between my fingers to find her standing in the doorway, a defeated smile upon her face.

"Sorry. I tried to sneak back here before you woke up!" She apologizes, sneaking over to my side of the bed, and straddling herself across my waist, much like last night. I rolled my eyes playfully, if she thought this was going to get her out of trouble every single time that she did something, she had another thing coming. Yet, she knew that she had me wrapped around her finger and she played me like a violin with every bat of her long eyelashes, "I'm sorry I was not the first thing that you saw when your beautiful eyes opened this morning." She whispered playfully against my lips but I do not kiss her back, instead I only pull away with a simple arch of my eyebrow.

"Where were you?" I asked, squinting my eyes and fighting off the teasing grin that wanted to curl at my lips. She sighs, pulling a red rose from behind her back and I watch as her face lights up in excitement, her eyes sparkling with love and understanding. She knew how to get to me, she knew how to break me down, she knew exactly how to stop me from being mad at her and all it took was one smile and one flirty blink of her eyelashes.

"A rose from Rosie?" She offers with a chuckle and I take it from her with a smile, twirling it around my index and middle finger before I lay it on the night stand next to our bed. She stares down at me, her dark brown eyes sparkling with the answers that I had been searching for all my life and I chuckle at the fact that a girl like Rosalinda won my heart. "I promise I will not going to make this a habit, Carter. I just had some business to take care of. A surprise for you, if you will. Does that get me forgiven?" She asks, sticking her bottom lip out, tears flooding in her eyes and I roll my eyes with a smile. I reach forward, brushing her hair away from her face, shivering at the brief meeting of our skin and I watch as she swallows hard, both of us wanting nothing more than to give into the temptation that ate away at us.

"You're _always_ forgiven, no matter what you do," I whisper and a warm blush appears in her cheeks. I allow my lips to meet softly with hers, she gives into the kiss as my fingers twist in her wavy mess of hair. Our bodies met together in a woven mess of perfected art, our legs tangled together as she rests comfortably in the space between my legs, my fingers lurching across the skin that was revealed at the bottom of her night shirt, tracing shapes across her perfect skin. Her lips move like magic against my lips, knowing when to break and when to deepen, knowing exactly what to mumble into my mouth, it was quite clear that she was not new at this. I found myself tugging at the white buttons on her purple silk pajama top when she pulls away, a devious grin upon her face and I wrinkle my brow in confusion.

"As much as I would love to be with you in this way, we can not do this, Carter. We have to prepare your coming out ceremony this morning," She instructs, propping herself up on her elbows as she stares into my eyes. My stomach flops as my heart stops in my chest, I reach forward, allowing my fingers to slip through her brunette waves, amazed that she could turn a tomboy like me into a big mush ball of a hot mess.

"'Coming out ceremony'? I just flew down to Aruba to marry my girlfriend that I have been with since my dad moved her into our house a few summers back. I'm pretty sure there is no more in closet hiding from my lesbianism for me, especially when I have such a beautiful wife like you," I whisper and she giggles, a warm blush appearing in her cheeks once again and I smile at how insecure she is sometimes. She presses her lips softly against mine once again before she pulls away, resting her chin on my chest as she stares absently up at me and I can't help but wonder exactly what is going through her head at moments like this.

"Not that kind of coming out ceremony, silly. What I mean is that I have to present you to the country of Costa Luna as my wife, I have to present you as someone who is going to share the power of the crown and we have to see if they accept you as my wife or not," She states so simply as if I should have known that all along when it is actually the first time that I have ever heard of this 'coming out' ceremony that she is talking about. I allow my fingers to twist in her hair, our eyes colliding hard as I struggle to catch the breath that has became lodged in my chest.

"And what if they don't accept me?" I ask so innocently and she shrugs her shoulders.

"Well then, I guess we will just have to get an annulment and I will tell them that I made a mistake, they will understand, me being young and all. You will simply become my protector and we will cease all romantic entanglement that has led us to this point and we will simply just be friends, if even that," She answers and I pull away, my mouth slightly ajar as the tears quickly fill in my eyes. She _can't_be serious, can she? A life without Rosie? That was practically like having no life. I couldn't just be her protector, I couldn't be around her every day without my heart racing every time that she looks at me with her innocent smile, I couldn't stay in Costa Luna knowing that I could not be with her when she was the best thing that ever happened to me. She snorts a laugh as she reaches forward, brushing away a tear, "Aww, Carter. I am sorry. I did not mean for you to cry or get upset. I was only kidding! You know that I would not leave you..._ever_, no matter what they say. I was only kidding, love. I am sorry." She apologize and I roll my eyes, shaking my head.

"That was not one bit funny, Rosalinda Mason," I scold her and she flinches, looking away, sticking her bottom lip out as she pouts so innocently. She looks up at me and I know that I could never be happy with any one else, not with Donny like I so long thought, not with Ed like she had pointed out at the bowling alley, I was meant to be with her for the rest of my life.

"Forgive me?" She whispers against my lips and I softly kiss them. She was so innocent when she was looking at me like that, her brown eyes sparkling with such faith and compassion; she was the one who provided me with the truth that true love does exist. I had always thought love was a conspiracy made up for holidays, because certainly if my mother loved us, she would not have left us that night. That was, until I hugged Rosie the night of homecoming when General Kane almost kidnapped us. _That_ was the night that everything changed for me and us.

"Always," I whisper as I pull away from her, smiling softly at the innocence in her eyes, after everything that happened with General Kane so many years ago, she still seemed like nothing ever happened in the first place. She chuckles as she slowly pushes herself forward off my small body, skipping onto the floor, extending her hand out toward me. I roll my eyes as I place my palm within her own, allowing her to pull me from the warm bed that had provided me comfort last night. I shivered as my bare feet met the cold ice known as hardwood flooring and I watch as she smirks a grin.

"You're surprise awaits you, Mrs. Mason," She states, intertwining her fingers around my own as she leads me out of the bedroom. I watch as she walks so elegantly beside of me, how her hair bounces with every step that she takes, how she moves around like she is alive to the music in her head. I chuckle, following behind her closely, how was it possible that I ended up with someone like her?

**

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**

She has her hands over my eyes, giggling as I stumble down the hallway, tripping over my own feet. I try not to focus on the fact that her waist is swaying against the arch of my back or the fact that she smells like the perfume that I bought her for Christmas last year, I couldn't give myself into the addiction that is Rosalinda, I couldn't let her have her way with me once again. If you had asked me five years ago if I ever thought that finding a love like this was ever possible, I would probably laughed in your face and told you that you were crazy, but now I couldn't imagine my life without her. I wasn't meant to be queen of a country, I wasn't meant to be behind the counter of my father's bait shop, I was meant only to be with her, as cliche as I know it must sound. I trip over my converses, tumbling forward as I grasp at the wall beside of me, caught up in the sweet laughter that came from behind me.

"I think that we should stop this before I seriously injure you or myself!" I shriek with a soft laugh and I don't even have to look behind me to know that she is shaking her head with her smile stretching from one side of her mouth to the other. I can't help but recall the day that I found her in my bedroom, how much of a spoiled princess she was then, how I couldn't wait for her to go back to her country, but now I didn't want to be without her for one second. Somewhere along the line, Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fiore captured me in her spell that made the entire high school of Lake Monroe swoon over her just enough for them to vote for her as homecoming queen, somewhere along the line I fell in love with every thing that she was.

"Why? Do you not trust me, Carter? Do you think that I would intentally get you hurt? Do you not believe that I care about you enough to want to protect you from pain?" She whimpers, placing a kiss in the crook of my neck and the goosebumps quickly align every inch of my bare skin. It takes me a moment to catch my breath once again, I swallow hard, licking my dry lips as I try my best not to stutter.

"Of course I trust you. I just think that this is a bad idea in general. I mean, I am a klutz with my eyes open, imagine how dangerous I am going to be with your hands over my eyes, stumbling around this hallway with no idea where you are taking me. What if I trip and fall backward? I will crush you like some little bug and then surely the people of Costa Luna would never forgive me for hurting their queen," I reply and she chuckles as we slowly come to a stand still, I assumed that we were finally in the destination that Rosie had planned. I felt her chin upon my shoulder as she slowly removes her hands from my eyes, allowing them to wrap around my waist. I swallow hard opening my dark brown eyes to find the table outside decorated in roses, a plate of chocolate pancakes sitting as the main course and suddenly I felt as if I was back home in Louisiana again.

"The only way that you could ever hurt me is if you told me that you didn't love me anymore," She mumbles and I look at her with tears in my eyes, my bottom lip quivering and her face falls at the sight. She pulls herself away from me, resting her hands at her side, staring at the strings that laced my black converses, "you do not like the surprise?" She whispers and I shake my head as a smile curls at my lips.

"I love it. And you. They are not tears of sadness, Rosie, they are tears of happiness and amazement. How is it possible that some stupid bait girl from Louisiana gets to spend the rest of her life with the amazingly lovely Queen of Costa Luna? Surely, you have made a mistake in choosing to marry me, are you sure that you don't want to be with like Prince William or Harry or something like that? I'm sure a marriage to a prince would be more approved of than marrying the bait girl," I answer and she chuckles, her face suddenly very serious and I felt myself practically melt standing in front of her.

"You were always so much more than bait girl to me, Carter. _So_ much more," She whispers and the tears fall down my cheeks like broken glass, cutting away at the walls that I kept up around my heart. She smiles as she wraps her arms around me, holding me tight against her before she pulls away, taking my hand within her own, leading me over to the table as she pulls out the chair for me. I smile as I thank her softly, before I do the same for her and she only rolls her eyes as we slowly begin to eat the pancakes with such grace. Occasionally I would steal a glance at the brunette sitting beside of me, shaking my head in pure disbelief that this was actually happening to the two of us, and when her eyes would meet mine, she would smile bashfully with a cute giggle. I couldn't help but wonder if this was what Snow White felt like when she got to spend the rest of her life with the prince, if this is what Cinderella felt like when the Prince placed the shoe on her foot. My God, I was truly living another Cinderella story. But, our breakfast was interrupted when Emily sat down on the other end of the table from us.

"Good morning Rosalinda," She smiles at Rosie before she realizes that I am sitting beside of her and she ducks her head with a bashful smile, "and Carter. How are you this morning?" She asks as she slowly begins eating at the pancakes that Rosie prepared for _me_. I watched her carefully, noticing every inch of her beautiful body, at the way that her blond hair curled around her face, the way that her blue eyes sparkled against her tan skin, it was quite clear that she had broken a few hearts in her past. I nervously began to play with the golden band upon my left finger, reminding myself that Sophia had sent her to work with Rosie and she would surely not jeopardize her daughter's happiness on purpose.

"I am well, thank you," Rosie smiles at her as the silence falls around us. I continue to chew the pancakes, watching as the two of them became invovled in a conversation about some meeting with some island that I have never heard of. It seemed so easy for the two of them to exclude me from their conversations, Emily said something that made Rosie laugh and my stomach twists in knots, I hated how jealous I was of Emily but yet again, something about her just didn't seem _right_. I could chalk it up to being jealous of the fact that Rosie was making more time for her than me, or maybe it was the fact that I felt so insecure when I was around her, either way, I just didn't believe that she was as good or as innocent as she wanted us to believe that she was. The clattering of Rosie's fork against her plate broke me from my constant indecision and her eyes quickly met mine, "I have to make a phone call but I will be back shortly. Try to not have to much fun without me." She mumbles and I rolled my eyes as she places a kiss against my ear. Fun? Yeah, right. I chuckle as I slowly begin to play with the pancake, soaking up the moat of syrup I had made around the round object.

"So, the staff tell me that you used to work in a bait shop in Louisiana? That Rosalinda met you after coming to live with you and your father one summer?" Emily asks, glancing across the table at me, and I smile weakly, taking a sip of the freshly squeezed orange juice that sat in front of me. Something about her had changed since Rosie left the table, suddenly she did not seem so open and friendly as she had before, now she seemed stern and determined, as if I had done something that offended her. I allow my fingers to slip through my wavy hair, twisting them carefully as I took in a long breath, wishing that Rosie would hurry and finish that stupid phone call.

"Uh, yeah. It was five years ago that Costa Luna was sieged by General Kane. Sophia knew that her daughter would be viewed as fleeting her country when she put her in the care of my father, yet she wanted her daughter's safety more than she wanted her family's good name. My father, Major Mason, brought her to live with us to escape General Kane. She struggled to adjust to the life of a _normal_ American teenager but I showed her the ropes, gave her a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt and every one just fell in love with her. They voted her homecoming queen and everything. She really...um.. she really had a way with every one in my town, every one loved her even if she was a princess," I explained, picking at the food in my plate before I glanced up at Emily. She says nothing, she only nods her head in understanding as she also, takes a drink of her orange juice before probing me once again.

"Yes, that is truly one of Rosalinda's best qualities, I learned that last night when we spend hours talking. Every one must love Queen Rosalinda, she is so sweet and generous, and kind and beautiful, she is truly one of the best people that I have ever met. I am sorry to hear that General Kane threatened her happiness here in Costa Luna but I see the the matter resolved itself, correct? And now she is with you? The...bait girl?" Emily asks and I can't help but feel slightly offended at the way that she worded that question. Maybe she did not mean it as harsh as it came out, but suddenly I felt as if I was being judged for not being as rich or as high as the two of them were.

"The matter is resolved, yes. He tried to marry Sophia to trick Rosie to come back to Costa Luna but I wasn't going to let her go back to a place where she would be held prisoner. So I hatched a plan that General Kane would kidnap me at the homecoming and while he was taking me back to Costa Luna, I had a way for my father to get Rosie out of Louisiana. But she figured out my plan and she showed up at the helicopter, she was going to give herself up to him but my father busted him and he is in prison right now. That was the moment that I realized that I was in love with her, even if she was a little spoiled princess. The moment that she held me in her arms and mumbled about how amazed she was that I would do something like that for her, I just _knew_. So yeah, she is with me and I _did_ work in my father's bait shop but I don't work there anymore. I'm involved with the protection program and my job is to protect Rosalinda from someone like General Kane," I stated, not breaking our clearly intense gaze. Emily chuckles as she folds her hands over her plate, tossing her head to the side as her blond hair falls forward, shading her face just slightly.

"That is really great that she has someone to protect her, God forbid that someone like General Kane presents thyself in her life again. Costa Luna is _her _country and it sickens me to know that someone would use her father's death to gain something like this, that they would threaten to take it away from her. The world could use a lot of people like your father and I think that it is really nice that you decided to step up and protect Rosalinda. It amazes me, actually, that she has not received any trouble for deciding to marry you. Not only are you a girl but you worked in a bait shop. No offense, but that is not really enough to qualify the partner of a queen. After meeting Rosie, I expected her to be with a prince of some sort, like Prince Harry. He seemed more her type," She sneers and I felt my insides burn in anger. I chuckle as I push the plate away from me, my blood practically boiling in my veins that she would even dare to point out that I had not had things handed to me like the two of them had.

"Yes, I agree that it is surprising that she chose to be with me. I told her that she deserved more than the bait girl and that she _should_ be with a prince or someone else who the community would not frown upon but you know what, she loves _me. _And I love her. I make her happy and if that is not enough for people, well then, I guess neither one of us needs them in our lives," I pointed out, the acid quite clear in my voice and Emily chuckles as she scratches her head softly, her blue eyes flooding with poison and anger.

"Do not get upset, Carter, because I truly do not mean to make you angry. I was just simply pointing out the fact that Rosalinda is a queen, she is royal and rich and is living the high life. You are simply a bait girl who sells worms to people and tells them where the best catches are of the day. Your father may have worked in the protection program but he does not work there anymore, now does he?" Emily points out and I lost my breath.

"My father is dead. He died protecting people like Rosalinda. That was what he loved and I wouldn't have ever asked him to stop. He also loved selling bait and listening to people tell their stupid fish stories. He loved helping people and you know what? I do too. I own the bait shop but I've closed it since his death, I've moved here to Costa Luna with Rosie so that I could give her the best life possible and I think it's stupid that you sit there and judge me for it when you do not even know me," I exclaim and she rolls her eyes with a quick laugh.

"I am sorry about your father's death, truly I am. I do not mean to offend you or make you upset. I'm just pointing out that Rosalinda deserves someone more than some 'bait girl', you know? It's quite clear that you were her first love but first loves never last, you two may think that this love is going to work and that this marriage is forever but it's not. One of these days, she's going to wake up and realize that she's settled and Rosalinda is a catch, she deserves more than _just_ settling," She exclaims and I shook my head, swallowing the cry that is quickly building in my throat.

"And she deserves who? Someone like you, Emily?" I ask and she only rolls her shoulders with a smug grin.

"If she wants to be with me, I am not going to tell her that I am not interested, Carter. Even I think that she knows that I am interested in her and that is why she enjoys being around me so much. That was why she stayed with me so late last night and was with me this morning," I didn't even have to listen to her babble anymore because my heart practically snapped into. Rosie was with her this morning. Her. Emily? After staying with her so late last night, she was with her this morning even though she promised me that she was making this surprise for me? "look, Carter, all I'm saying is that if I was you, I would be extremely careful because someone is going to step in and steal Rosalinda away from you one of these days."

"Oh, is that a threat? _Really_? You are _really_ threatening me that you are going to steal her away from me? I did not realize that we were in high school, I'm sorry. So should I just hit you now or wait and make a dull moment a little more interesting?" I demand, my jaw locking tightly and she only chuckles, batting her eyelashes at me, but she wasn't Rosie and she wasn't going to make me melt and forget everything.

"I am not threatening you, I am not that stupid. I am simply telling you," She replies and I roll my eyes as I slam my fists down on the table, shaking the silverware as I stand to my feet. It took everything in my power to not storm over there and rip her head off of her shoulders, but I knew that if Rosie caught me throwing punches at her face, then she would be highly disappointed and I did not want to see that in her eyes.

"Yeah? Well then, I guess, I'm just telling _you_, that Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fiore Mason is **my** wife! She loves me and I love her. We are happy together, you may not see that because it's not what you want to see, but we are. And if _any one _dares to come between the two of us, I am not going to be as civil as I am right now. I've been trained to kill people without even leaving a mark on their bodies and someone as little as you, should not be that hard to drop. So, I would advise you that you either get over this little infatuation that you have with my wife or you quit this job, even if Sophia gave it to you. You hear me, Robbins? Stay away from us," I demand and she only rolls her eyes. I groan as I shove my hands hard into my pockets before I storm away from her, the tears blinding my vision and it took everything that I had to stop myself from breaking down right there in front of her.

**

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**

I stumble into the palace, clutching tight to one of the pillars as the cries escape from my body. The tears crashed down my cheeks quicker than I ever imagined as the wretching sobs shook my entire body. I didn't trust her and I was right, she was after Rosalinda, she was going to try to take her away from me and so help me God if she succeeded then I would....I would...I _can't_ lose her. I cupped my hand over my mouth, as I gasped hard for a breath, I felt my knees go weak beneath me and as I am sliding to the floor, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me. She pulled me into her body as she rubs soft circles into my back, I breath in her intoxicating smell and slowly I began to become at ease. Finally, the tears slowly began to cease as she pulls away from me, wiping away my tears and she smiles weakly.

"What is wrong, Carter?" She asks in a warm, compassionate voice and it is almost enough to start the tears falling again. She would never be with a girl like Emily, would she? No, Emily is not her type but still, she chose to be with her last night and she was with her this morning, instead of waking up with me this morning. My mind couldn't imagine Rosie being with any one but me, yet my gut kept nagging at me that she deserved someone more than me.

"Uh, n-nothing. I-it's stupid. I-I was just thinking about m-my dad, that's all. I was thinking about how he used to make me chocolate chip pancakes e-every time that I was feeling bad about something. H-he made them after my mom died and after you left. He always knew that you and I were going to end up together, he would have been _so_ proud of you..o-of us," I hated myself for lying to her, I knew that she deserved more than that but telling her about Emily would only ruin everything, this was my fight, not hers. She sighs as she cups my face in her hands, she pulls me into another long hug before she pulls away, kissing my lips softly.

"He would have been extremely proud of you, of the person that you are today. I know that I am," She exclaims and I nod my head with a sniffle. She smiles at me as she leans in for another brief meeting of our lips and I struggle to keep myself from breaking down once again, she pulls away, taking my hand within her own, "come on. Mr. Elegante is ready to fit us for our dresses for your coming out ceremony." I follow her up the stairs but I slowly stop, watching her as she walks ahead of me and sometimes I wonder if things are truly going to work out for the two of us.

"Rosie?" I call out and she stops, turning to face me and I sigh, my entire body trembling when her dark brown eyes collide with my own. I sigh, brushing my hair away from my face as I struggle to catch the breath that she is taking away from me with every bashful smile or batting of her eyelashes, "you know that I love you, right? I am so grateful that you decided that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, I'm so happy that you said yes to my proposal. I could never imagine being with any one _but_ you. But if the time ever comes when you are not happy with me, when you find someone else out there who makes you feel the way that I feel about you, then I want you to be with them. I don't want you to be in this relationship if you are miserable or if you are not happy with me because you deserve so much more than that. I-I just want you to be happy." I cry and she shakes her head as she steps down toward me, taking both of my hands within her own and I notice the tears that are glistening in her eyes as well.

"There is **no body **who I could ever be more happy with other than you. I said yes to your proposal that day because I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, I did not just say it because I was afraid of losing you. You are the only person who looks at me and makes me feel like I matter to someone, that I am more than just some Queen. You are the one good constant thing in my life, and I am not going to be with any one but you. I can't change certain things, Carter, I know it would be easier if I was not queen of Costa Luna, if I was simply just a normal woman but I know that _nothing_ or _no-one _is going to stop me from falling even more in love with you. You always have to believe that, okay?" She demands and I pull her into a kiss, allowing our lips to move together as one magical mess. She runs her fingers through my hair as she pulls away with a weak chuckle, "you truly are something else, Carter Mason, you know that? But if you were any other way, I wouldn't love you. Now come on, before Mr. Elegante sends a search party out for us." She teases and I nod my head as I follow her up the stairs, only hoping that she meant it when she said nobody could come between us, even if that person was her new friend Emily. Because, even though I'd never admit it, I needed Rosalinda more than she would ever know and I wasn't about to let Emily Robbins take her away from me. Not without one hell of a fight.

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**I'm officially spoiled. (; Reviews are _always_ welcomed with a smile. **


	4. Three: She Is All I Need

**You guys cease to amaze me. Seriously, you do. I can not thank you enough for reading this story, I love writing it and expressing what I am sure we have all endured, 'the other woman.' And I am loving the fact that you guys hate Emily and a few hate Rosie for allowing her to weasel her way into their marriage. But I promise, you may not see it now, but neither of them are that bad. Well, Emily is. But she has her reasons. But until then, hate away, because it makes me smile. **

**Also, my story is _very_ read between the lines. I'm not giving anything away, I'm just saying there is clues through out this entire story as to why certain things happen, you just have to put them together. So, have fun. Enjoy this piece of fluff and drama, all mixed in one.**

* * *

Standing up on this runway, with my hands by my side, I felt like a caterpillar trapped in a cocoon about to turn into a butterfly. I was wrapped up in a blue dress, much like the one Mr. Elegante made me for homecoming, a pair of flats upon my feet, jewels adoring every inch of my bare skin, my hair falling upon my shoulders in nothing but curls. I felt like such a princess standing here, and needless to say, I did not like the feeling. I missed by pair of distressed jeans, my converses, my old beat up t-shirt that I got three summers back and my hair in a messy pony tail. I did not do this whole dressing up business, if I couldn't wear my jeans and converses to the event, then it was simply one that I would not attend. Yet, this was different, just as homecoming was different. Rosie asked me to go to homecoming for her, so I went, and Rosie asked me to do this coming out ceremony, and because it was so important to her, I stood up here, allowing Mr. Elegante dress me up like a china doll, even if I felt like flinging myself from the nearest window.

I watch as the women dress Rosie on the runway beside of me, preparing her with the most beautiful fabric and offering her the finest jewels that I have ever seen. She seemed so at ease with this process, as if it came as a second nature to her. She didn't jump every time that someone poked at her, she didn't squirm every time that someone measured the size of one of her body parts and she did not cringe when they began to curl her hair in the way that I did. It was quite clear that she was used to this type of treatment as she cooed over the warm fabrics and held the jewels in her hand, twirling them around her fingers with a soft laugh. They quickly slipped a peach colored dress upon her tan petite body and I smiled at the quick glance of the beautiful woman that I had chosen to spend the rest of my life with. Pearls quickly find their way around her neck as a golden chain is placed upon her left wrist, I smile at the golden band that seemed to sparkle against her new outfit. Her eyes quickly met mine and I blush almost instantly with a soft giggle before I return my attention to Mr. Elegante who was presenting me with a new pair of flats, saying they supported the outfit better, but I still noticed her watching me and the smile continued to play at my lips.

This had to be some kind of cosmic slip up, though, right? It didn't seem right that after everything that has happened to me, that I get to live happily ever after with the world's most amazing woman. Emily was well aware of my insecurites and she was far to quick to prey upon them, just like this morning. I felt my stomach churn as the banter plays through my head like a movie without sound, the way that she brought up my father without a single ounce of compassion within her, I swear, I could have killed her in that second. If it wasn't for Rosie, I would probably still be pounding her face in, but I knew that those actions would be frowned upon by the Queen and I would rather die than disappoint her. I knew that she was going to try her hardest to break us apart, she was going to try to weasel her way into Rosie's life, but it was my job to protect her and I was defenitly going to take my job at heart more than ever before. It wasn't just some type of crush that Emily had on her, no, this was something more, I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Mr. Elegante steps away from me, his eyes venturing over my body that now felt like it was trapped in a beautiful cocoon. He places his hands out, allowing his thumb and index finger to form a L, before a smile quickly turns upward on his friendly face.

"Perfection. You look absolutely stunning, Mrs. Mason, if I do say so myself," Mr. Elegante beams and I shake my head with a snort. He was such an amazing man, he took care of Rosie and I like we were his own children. Other than Rosie, he was the first person to comfort me after I found out about my father being killed, he held me tight in his arms and told me about what an amazing man my father was, and how he saved Rosie from General Kane at her practice coordination. He was the only other man, other than my father, who I trusted with my life.

"You're crazy. I probably look like some beat up version of some kid's barbie doll or something. You can try as hard as you can, Mr. Elegante, but you could never make me look stunning. I think it's the tom boy in me, really. As the wife of the queen, I should probably work on that though, don't you think?" I ask and he smiles at me, rolling his eyes. He quickly takes my wrist in his hand as he pulls me from the runway and he pushes me in front of the full length mirror and suddenly I am taken back to the day that Rosie and I got our dresses.

_"You are just so good with every body. Kids, old people, you are probably even good with dogs," I point out, balancing the book carefully on top of my head. _

_"That is true," Oh, wow, she is __**so**__ humble, isn't she?_

_"You are so much more generous than I thought you would be," I respond, and she was. I expected her to come into this house, and demand everything be all about her. I expected her to want the students of Lake Monroe to swoon over her because of her beauty and grace, but she did not want that, even though it came to her anyway. _

_"It is a princess' job to help people," She states the answer as if she has said it a million times and I can't help but wonder what is really going on inside of her head, what she really wants to say instead of the safe answer like that one. _

_"I guess I never thought about what it really means to be a princess," I exclaim as the book slides off my head, I catch it with a gasp before we both crack up in giggles and my heart flutters at the sound of her warm and inviting laugh, it was like a perfect melody, "like this. I can't believe you actually have to do this." She looks at me with a smile as she lays her book upon her bed and I try to not focus on her bare skin that is revealed. _

_"Oh, no, you don't," She replies._

_"Wait, then, why am I doing it?" I ask, taking the book from my head and feeling like a complete idiot. _

_"Because it is funny," She laughs and I roll my eyes with a playful gasp, pushing her slightly. _

_"What?! I hate you!" I laugh with a shriek. _

_"You do?!" She asks and I can't help but laugh a little softer. Of course, __**she **__would think that I actually mean that I hate her. I wish that I could tell her different, I wish that I could tell her that I didn't hate her, that I cared for her more deeply and passionately than any one else ever would. Yet, she is a princess and this behavior, I knew, would be frowned upon. _

_"No! No! No, no, no. I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean 'I hate you', I hate you. I meant, 'I hate you' like you are my best friend," A blush quickly appears in her cheeks and my heart races at the sight._

_"Oh! Well, then, I hate you, too. And that dress is ugly!" She shakes her head in a teasing manner. _

_"It is?" I ask, placing my hands on my waist, staring down at the blue fabric that wrapped around me and she smiles with a soft laugh, placing her hand upon my shoulder softly and I melted into her touch._

_"No! It is beautiful," She smiles and the smile slowly slips away from her face and our eyes collide together in a hard gaze, "and so are you. Look." She leads me over to the full length mirror as I gaze at myself, wrapped up in this blue fabric that made me feel very much like a princess. I watch carefully as her right side curves at my waist as she pulls the crown from the shelf beside of us, "you are becoming a princess on the inside and now you look like one too." She smirks as she places the crown upon my head and I try to not let her see me shiver when her fingers brush against my neck. Instead I only smile as my eyes become lost in hers in the beautiful reflection the mirror projected back at us._

She had me practicing that stupid balancing a book on my head for _hours_ before she told me that she didn't have to do it, she just thought it was funny. Well, it _wasn't_ funny, it was just a pain but I would do it all over again for her, and she knows that. I honestly thought my chest was going to explode in happiness when she told me that I was beautiful, just like now, when I found this complete stranger staring back at me in the mirror. I jumped when I felt her hand upon my waist and she giggles from behind me as she places her chin upon my shoulder, gazing at the reflection of the two of us together. Her fingers quickly intertwine around mine and I softly trace the golden band upon her finger.

"You are so beautiful," She smiles at me and the blush once again, appears in my cheeks. I hate it when she does that, when she says the simplest of all things and my stomach practically does flip flops at the sound of her voice, even after all of this time. Our eyes meet through the reflection and I can not stop the bashful smile that continues to spread upon my pink lips.

"Yeah well, Mr. Elegante had _a lot _to do with this. If it wasn't for him, I would still look like Carter Mason, bait girl from Louisiana. But now, I look the part of the wife of a queen, don't you think?" I ask and she only laughs as she places a kiss upon my cheek. I chuckle as I turn to face her, swaying our hands at our side as I trace every perfect curve of her body and I watch as her cheeks blush a soft pink, "oh my God, you look.....amazing." I struggle to catch my breath and she smiles, twirling around before she stops with a bright, beaming smile.

"A queen must always look her best," She teases and I roll my eyes playfully at her as I pull her body hard into mine, causing the distance that was between us to slowly disappear. I brought my forehead against hers as I shiver against her warm body and she does the same, I allow my top lip to brush against hers softly and she groans, "Carter, we can not. I have to give a speech." She mumbles and I laugh as I press my lips hard against hers, stopping her breath as she kisses me back. Her hands quickly curve around my waist as she allows her mouth to move against mine, her bottom lip slipping under my tongue and I pulled away after a few moments, watching as her eyes scanned my face before she smiles, "you do not play fair."

"Well, if _someone_ would actually come to bed at a Godly hour instead of spending all of her time with Emily then this would be fair," I tease her and her face falls at the mentioning of her name. It killed me to know that she was with her last night instead of in bed next to me, allowing me to fall asleep listening to her soft breathing, especially since I knew that Emily wanted to be with her. She doesn't say anything for a long time, instead she only stares at me, her dark brown eyes sparkling with such love and admiration that it takes my breath away, and I curse myself for ever believing that she wanted to spend her time with Emily instead of me.

"You do not have to be jealous of her, Carter. I know that I am spending a lot of time with her instead of you and I am sorry that I have not been giving you the attention that a new wife deserves. I wish that this was different, that I did not have to spend all my time worrying about this country and I could spend all time in bed with you, talking about our future together. About our future children and how we will be when we are old ladies. But you knew that this was my life, you are, after all, my protector and you knew that this would be how it is. But please do not think that I would rather be with her than you, because that is simply just not true. And I am sorry if I ever made you feel that way," She exclaims and I can't help but feel like such an idiot. She had been selfless with me, she had given up so much for me and here I am, demanding that she not talk to Emily or protect her country. I sigh as I tuck a stray curl behind her ear, closing my eyes tightly as I try to forget about the tears in her eyes.

"I know. You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just being stupid and insecure and I hate that. I wish that I could pretend like it doesn't bother me to know that I have to share you with every body else. I just wish that sometimes you wasn't royal, that you could just be normal for one second so that I could wake up with you in the morning or go to sleep with you every night. But that's selfish of me, and you deserve more than that. And I feel like such an idiot for even doing this to you, I-I just...I love you," I chuckle and she smiles as she places her lips softly upon mine, allowing herself to melt against me before she pulls away, placing a soft kiss upon the tip of my nose.

"I know you do. I love you too," She laughs before Mr. Elegante clears his throat. She quickly parts herself from my touch as she takes in a long breath, steadying herself on her feet before she turns to me with a serious face, "come on, Carter. It is time that I present you to the people of Costa Luna as my loving, yet insecure but loyal wife." She teases as she takes my hand in hers and I let out a sharp breath.

"Rosie. Rosie, wait!" I plead as I stop and she stops as well with a sigh, "what if I humiliate myself? We both know that I am not very good with words. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I trip and fall? What if...what if.." She interrupts me.

"Carter, stop. You will be fine. Do not worry about saying or doing the right thing, just present yourself with pride and confidence and they will love you. Trust me, they will see how happy you make me and that will be enough for them to accept you as my wife, you do not have to pretend to be something that you are not. I love you and so will they. Just breathe, it is going to be okay. I promise," She smiles and I sigh, closing my eyes as I place my palm within hers, wishing that this was over before it even begins.

**

* * *

**

She walks so confidently, each step as graceful as the last as she walks with her chin squared, yet held high. I tried to kept my pace up beside of her, holding tight to my dress, lifting it as I walked, trying to remember the four counts in my head that allowed me to look as graceful as she was. She has done this many times, I know, gave speeches in front of the people of her country without a single flinch or wrong word from her lips, but still, it would be nice if she showed a little bit of nerves. I mean, really, we can't all be as perfect as her, now, can we? She stops behind the red curtain, allowing a soft breath outward, clinching her eyes tightly shut.

"Oh my God, are you _actually_nervous?" I ask with a soft laugh and her eyes quickly collide with mine. Sometimes I forget that she is a queen, I forget that people need her to lead them and protect them, because at moments like these, she only reminded me of the innocent and shy girl that moved into my house after my father saved her from her attacker. I can't help but smile at her with a simple shake of my head as I reached forward, brushing that stubborn curl behind her ear and I listen to her gasp for a breath, "you don't have to be nervous. They are not going to throw tomatoes at you, I promise. And if they do, well then, I give you permission to use me as your human shield. Although I don't think Mr. Elegante will appreciate that every much." I tease and she laughs, wrinkling up her nose as she gives my hand a tight squeeze.

"You always find a way to make me laugh. They will love you, Carter. I have no doubt," She smiles at me and I place my lips against her cheek as she giggles softly. She was such a little girl at moments like this, the way that she blushed every time that I touched her, or the way that she giggled every time that I pulled her into a kiss, it made me love her even more.

"Attention! Attention! I present your queen, Mrs. Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fiore Mason!" The archbishop introduced her as the people clapped and cheered for her attention. She smiled brightly as she turned free of my hand, presenting herself in front of the red curtain and I swiftly moved behind the red silk, peering out at all of the people who watched her with wide eyes. The archbishop smiles at her as he steps aside, clapping his own hands for her as she whispers a soft thank you. I try not to focus on Emily who has quickly joined Mr. Elegante and I behind the curtain but I couldn't help but notice the smug grin pressed upon her pink lips. I shake my head as I inhale a sharp breath, watching as Rosie takes her place behind the podium.

"People of Costa Luna, I thank you for coming out today, I have a matter that I would like to present to you. I want to bring your memory back to a few years ago when our country was seized by General Kane, my mother quickly put me in the care of Major Mason. He was a brave soul who quickly freed me from General Kane's grasp and I will always be grateful to him for saving me. What he did not realize at the time, he saved me in more ways than just one that day. He moved me into his home with his loud, rude daughter," I knew that I should be offended but I couldn't help but stop the smile that was forming at my lips, I loved the sound of her voice, I could listen to her talk for _hours_. Emily steps up beside of me, a smile on her face and I shake my head, muttering the curse under my breath.

"You must mean a lot to her for her to speak so highly of you to the people of her country. You are aware that she could be forced to step down as queen once she introduces you as her wife. They could see this as a disgrace to their country and her entire family will be forced to step out of the royal society. She must really love you to be willing to give all of that up," Emily snarls and so many thoughts flood through my mind, so many things that I knew that I should be telling her, yet so many things that I did not want Rosie to be angry at me because of.

"Yeah. You know, if I was you, Emily, I would be jealous too. I mean, Rosalinda is such an amazing woman and it must really suck to watch her be happy with someone else. Especially if that someone else wasn't born into the high and royal family like you are. You may think that you are best for her, and I am not going to disagree that socially you are. But you are not the one who was there when she was crying in the middle of the night, you were not the one who was there when she was afraid to go to sleep so you let her stay in your bed, and certainly you were not the one who was willing to give your life up for hers the night of homecoming. You can stand here and try to make me as angry as you want to, but it burns you up inside to know that she is out there talking about _me_, her _wife_. It kills you to know that you can't have her," I exclaim back at her and she shakes her head with a snort, her eyes burning with passion and determination.

"Oh, how naive you must be, Carter. I _can_ have her and I _will _have her and there is nothing that you can do to stop me," She chuckles. How dare she? How dare she stand here on my stupid coming out ceremony and threaten me? Who did she think she was? I open my mouth to dispute her last statement but before I can, Mr. Elegante places his hand on my shoulder and I know that it is best if I stay silent. If not for Rosalinda but for the people of Costa Luna as well, this was certainly, not the time to make a scene.

"I did not think much of Major Mason's daughter at first. I thought that she was rude, impossible and I was sure that we could not be friends. But after a few weeks, I realized that Carter Mason was so much more than I ever thought that she could ever be. She was the first person who looked at me and saw more than Princess Rosalinda, she was the first person who truly cared for me as a person, she taught me how to love without limitations, and that, my friends, is the greatest thing that you could ever give someone. General Kane found me the night of their 'homecoming' dance and she was willing to let him take her instead of me, that was the night that everything changed for me. That was the night that I realized that I had not been living my life as a person, I had only been _princess_, that was the night that I realized Carter and I were so much more than what people saw. You see, the reason that I was away for so long is because I married Carter in Aruba. She is my beautiful, wonderful wife. And I am proud to introduce her as the equal to the thrown. People of Costa Luna, I present to you, Carter Leigh Mason, _my _wife." I swallowed hard, as I brushed my hair away from my face, steadying myself as I slowly pushed myself forward. I felt Emily's foot wrap around my ankle as I started tumbling forward but quickly Mr. Elegante takes my hand in his own with a warm smile.

"Careful, Mrs. Mason. It is a step up," He smiles at me and I shake my head, my brow drawn together and I know that he could feel the anger radiating off my small body in waves. He wraps his arm around my shoulder as he whispers in my ear, "you have to be careful with people like her. She only wants what you have, Senòra and she will humiliate you to gain her own happiness. I'll protect you just like you protected our Queen." He chuckles, placing a kiss upon my cheek before he places my hand within Rosalinda's and I smile bashfully at her.

"Are you okay?" She whispers under her breath and I nod my head with a short breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What now?" I ask with a soft chuckle, looking at faces of the people of Costa Luna. They were all so different, so complex and unique, clearly each having their own different lives, but they were brought here today for the same reason. They came to show their respect and loyalty to Rosalinda, they came for _me_.

"Now? You give a speech," She exclaims and I stare at her, my mouth open slightly and she chuckles as she presses it close with her thumb, placing a kiss upon my forehead, "do not think about it. Just say what is in your heart, Carter. Say what you think and how you feel about me, about being here in Costa Luna. Just be yourself, do not worry about saying what is right or what you think they want to hear because that is not what is right here. Do not think about it, just talk. It is not hard, I promise. And I will be right beside of you, the whole time." She whispers and I shake my head with a shaky breath as I place my hands upon the podium. I stare at all the people who await to hear what I have to say before my eyes meet with Rosalinda's once again and suddenly I am aware of exactly what I have to say.

"When my father first brought Rosalinda home, I thought he lost his mind. My mother died when I was six in a drunk driving accident, I can barely remember her, so it's pretty much always been him and I. Then, he brought Rosalinda home from one of his missions and I thought she was just the worst thing that could ever happen to me. She was high and royal, snotty and I didn't think that she would be able to handle normal life. B-but then, I watched her with Ed and Donnie and Chelsea, and she was a completely different person. She tried _so_ hard to be normal and she told me about her father and her mother. And I fell in love with her, I couldn't really help it, you know? She was so kind, so sweet, so compassionate and forgiving. She never once lost her temper or said something that she did not mean. She taught me how to believe in myself and I never thought that I could ever feel this way about any one, let alone a _princess_, but Rosalinda was different," I exclaim, my eyes meeting hers and suddenly the tears just started pouring down my cheeks.

"She is the one good constant thing in my life. I've been beaten down, worn out, screamed at, broken and scarred but she takes it all away for me. She looks at me with her smile and suddenly, everything is just better. She understands when I am upset, she knows exactly what to say to stop the tears from spilling down my cheeks. She doesn't run away when I'm angry, she just holds me in her arms and tells me that everything is going to be okay. Rosalinda is such an amazing person, she gives and gives and _never_ asks for anything back. She taught me how to not be afraid of everything that scares you, she taught me how to stand on my own two feet, she taught me how to love, which is something that I've never been able to do since my mother's death. And I look at her and I know that she is going to change the world some day but she does not even know it yet. Costa Luna is the best thing that happened to her and she would give her life to protect you guys, just as I would give my life to protect her. She leads you and I watch her with so much pride and love. She is everything that I am," I mumble, watching as the tears soaks her cheeks and my heart longs for her touch. I shake my head with a sniffle as I turn to the people who stand before me, tears in their own eyes and the smile quickly forms at my lips.

"I'm standing up here today, because Rosalinda is your Queen. When I married her, I knew that Costa Luna would always come first in her life, I knew that she would love and honor this country probably more than she ever would me. She wants me to be her equal in thrown, she wants you to accept me as her wife and view me also as your leader. I don't necessarily want that as much Rosalinda does, I am not the best leader, I have no patience, I'm loud, I don't take time to think before I speak. I don't know a lot of things and maybe that doesn't allow me to your leader. But what I do know is that I love Rosalinda, she is my life and I'm going to do everything that I can to make sure she is as happy as she can be, as well as Costa Luna. I am going to protect her and this country as much as I can, because this is who I am now. Protecting Costa Luna is who I am. Loving Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fiore Mason is who I am. And I hope that is enough to earn your respect," I exclaim and for a moment there is silence. My heart breaks in anticipation as the people of Costa Luna search each other's faces, but suddenly there is a loud burst of applause, as every one chants my name. Rosalinda smiles through her tears as she steps toward me, clapping her own hands in applause as the tears stain her perfect face.

"You did it, Carter," She smiles and I shake my head with a sly grin.

"No, Rosie, _we_ did it," I chuckle as I pull her toward me, our lips colliding together in a warm, passionate kiss. The people of Costa Luna chant our name in loud cheers as I pull away with a soft giggle, the tears falling from my eyes like water breaking from a dam. I smile bashfully at the brunette standing in front of me as she only stares deep within my eyes and I try my hardest to ignore Emily, who stands with her arms crossed, in front of the red curtain. Because, this moment was not about her, about me or Rosalinda, but this moment was about Costa Luna and our lives together.

**

* * *

**

It was late when I finally got out of the shower, I glanced around the empty suite with a wrinkled brow. I saw the balcony doors open, I wrinkle my brow, tossing the towel onto the floor below me as I find the brunette staring up at the sky that was exploding in different colors. Fireworks, I chuckle, I had not seen them since the last Independence day that Rosie spent with us. I smile as I step out onto the balcony, placing my hands upon the bar, staring up at the midnight sky that was alive with different colors, each telling a completely different story. I felt her eyes upon me and the smile plays at my lips as my eyes meet hers and I can't help but feel my chest expand with such pride.

"You were truly amazing today. I think they may very well love you more than I do," She chuckles, stepping toward me as she intertwines her pinky around mine. I gaze into her dark brown eyes and I find everything that I have ever been searching for, the comfort, the love, the answers to all the years of pain that came with my father's constant disappearance and my mother's absence. _She_ was everything I needed, rather she knew it or not.

"I only spoke the truth. You told me to be myself, to say what was in my heart, but you are in my heart, Rosie. I didn't want them or you to think that the only reason that I am in this relationship is because you are royal. You could be working at the dairy shack and I would still feel the same way about you that I do right now. You are all I need, you had to know that and so did they," I reply and I watch as her nose wrinkles up as she brings her face close to mine and I shiver at the thought of her finally being the dominant.

"I have missed you," She whispers in a soft laugh and I raise my eyebrow, biting my bottom lip softly.

"Yeah? I've missed you, too," I mumble as she presses her lips against mine. I smile into the kiss as we move together, I press her back against the banister as I hover in front of her, allowing her to grasp tightly at my waist. Suddenly though, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and I pull away from her with a groan, "hold on, I'm vibrating." I chuckle as I take the phone in my hand and find the directors number flashing on my screen. I wrinkle my brow as I step away from Rosie, pressing the phone against my ear. The news was devastating, I wasn't even aware that I had been pacing until Rosie's worried eyes collide hard with my own. I sigh as I turn my back to her, finishing up the phone call and I try to keep the tears from falling down my cheeks. I roll my shoulders as I turn back to her with a bright smile, wrapping my arms around her waist, "now, where were we?" I smile as I place my lips upon hers. She kisses me back half heartily before she pulls away, confusion written on her face.

"What is wrong? What did she tell you?" She pleads to know but I simply shake my head. She was my wife, I was going to protect her from this, I was going to keep my secrets just as my father kept his from me. I knew that once she knew, she would worry and I did not want her to worry about more than what she is wearing tomorrow or what we are going to name our first child. I smile as I allow my fingers to slip through her brunette waves as I kiss her softly, breathing her in.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. Now, can we get back to you missing me?" I tease and she laughs weakly. She nods her head as she presses her lips softly against mine once again. I smile as I give into her, allowing my hips to collide with hers and my fingers twist in her curls that now dance around her shoulders. She opens her mouth slightly, allowing my bottom lip to slip under her tongue before she pulls away with a chuckle.

"I am sorry. But you were pacing. A-and you only pace when it is something bad, which means that whatever the director told you, it must me something really bad since you were pacing and you refused to talk about it. Just tell me what is going on, please," She pleads and I groan as I slam my hands down hard on the metal bar with a sick chuckle escaping from my lips.

"Well, damn it, Rose, what if I don't want to talk about it?! Huh?! Did you ever think about that?!" I yell at her and she pulls away, cringing at the acid in my voice. I _never_ yelled at her, I _never_cursed at her and I hated myself for doing it now. It wasn't her fault that this was happening, it wasn't her fault that my father died and left me to deal with this alone and I should not have taken it out on her. I sigh as I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight against my body as I place a soft kiss on her forehead, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's not your fault. Um, the director has gotten news that General Kane's daughter is planning on seeking revenge on the people who put her father in prison. She's, uh, she's coming after you, and nobody knows who or where she is. It's like we are blind and playing with fire. A-and I d-don't know what to do." I exclaim and she pulls away from me, tears quickly appearing in her eyes.

"She is coming after me?" She asks in a soft, vulnerable voice, almost child like. I sigh as I nod my head, watching as her face contorts in different expressions, the pain written in her eyes as she stumbles backward against the bar, using her palms to support her weight and when she looks at me again, it is like a completely different person has taken over her body, "Oh my God. S-she is coming after me. She is coming for Costa Luna and Major Mason....he is not here...she will take Costa Luna from me, no matter what the cost, won't she?" She cries and I stare at her, the fire burning inside of me.

"No. She isn't going to take anything away from you, okay? My father may not be here anymore but he trained me on how to be the best, just like him. I'm going to protect you from her, Rosie because not only is it as my job as your protector but my job as your wife. She is going to try to con and weasel her way into your life but I am going to stop her because you do not deserve this again. Not after everything that you have given up to get to this point in your life, like hell, is some little spoiled brat going to come in here and take it away from you. I'm going to do everything in my power to protect you from her, even if that means I have to give my own life for you in the process," I exclaim, my jaw locking tightly and she shakes her head as she buries her fingers in my white t-shirt, pulling me hard against her body.

"I can not lose you, Carter. I _need_ you," She cries and my heart breaks in my chest.

"I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm right here. I am always going to be right here, with you and nothing or nobody is going to change that, not even some spoiled General's daughter. I'm going to protect you from her, you are going to be okay, I'm going to make sure of that, even if it is the last thing that I do. Everything is going to be okay," I whisper, placing a kiss upon her forehead and she shakes her head, staring up at me through her tear filled eyes and I hate the person who is putting her through this hell once again, suddenly she looked just as scared and broken as she did all those years ago when she gave herself up to General Kane at homecoming.

"You can not promise that, especially with General Kane's daughter coming after the both of us. Everything can change in a moment, Carter, and one of us could be dead because, if she is anything like her father, she is not going to care how far she has to go to get what she wants. So do not put fake hope into my heart when you just admitted that you have no idea what to do," She exclaims and I shake my head, as I brush her hair away from her face, my heart breaking for everything that I know is going through her head at this moment.

"You're right, I can't promise that. But you just have to believe me when I say that I'm going to go to all extents to make sure that you are safe and happy because you deserve that much. I may not know who she is or where she is at this exact moment but I know that as long as I am with you, you are safe. I promise, you have to believe in me and my love for you, okay? I love you, Rosie. I'm in love with you, and I'm _not_going to let anything happen to you," I reply as I place a soft kiss upon her lips as I pull her close to me, allowing her to bury her face into my chest, "everything is going to be okay, you'll see." I whisper, kissing her softly upon the head as we melted together, shades of blue, red and green creating color to the midnight sky surrounding us. Both of us, blissfully unaware of how much our lives were truly going to change, but fully aware of our love for one another.

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**I always appreciate your feedback. It fuels the inspiration.**


	5. Four: You're The Only Thing That's Right

So I'm not going to lie, I pretty much just cried my way through this entire chapter. I have so much going on in my life right now, so much that I need to figure out and writing this, just made me realize all of it. So, there's tons of emotion in this, mostly my own but I tried to end it on a happy note, though.

And, there is a chance for some Rosie hating in this chapter. Like, a lot, I'm not going to lie. She means well, but at the same time, you just can't help but want to slap her in the face! Also, I hope that I gave an insight to Emily, to show that she isn't such a horrible person all the time. And plus you can compare the Emily's. The Emily around Carter and the Emily around Rosie.

Also, the song at the end, is "Run" by Snow Patrol. That is what got me, that is what made me cry, i think. Because it's mine and my girlfriend's song and just...ugh. you know? Hearing it, writing it and thinking about life all together does not mix. But I shall end this note, and let you read this long chapter. Sorry about that, I just started writing it and I just couldn't stop myself.

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**Rosie's P.O.V**

I watch as the morning sun dances across the freckles that are aligned perfectly around her nose and I can not help but wonder exactly what I had done to deserve this beautiful woman in my life. I had not been expecting this to be the outcome of my stay with Major Mason after General Kane tried to seize Costa Luna, I had not expected Carter to become everything that she is to me. It is not expected of a Queen to allow someone to be the equal to the thrown that is not in the same social standing as I, yet, I was sure that Costa Luna would accept her for everything that she is. She is the only person that I could ever truly have stand beside of me and rule Costa Luna, and be happy with. Maybe it was frowned upon, maybe my mother did not always understand or accept, maybe I _should_ be with someone else, but all I know is that I love Carter and she loves me. That will always be enough to make me happy, should not that be all that matters?

I can not stop thinking about what Carter told me last night about General Kane's daughter. It does not seem fair that even from behind bars, this man is still trying to take away my country from me. I can never understand how one man could single handed try to ruin the only thing that I have left of my father, how could one be so selfish? Now his daughter, who knew **nothing** of what happened between all of us, would do anything to make sure that her father is avenged. I saw the fear in Carter's eyes when she was telling me of this, the way that her hands trembled when she placed them upon my shoulders, the way that she struggled to find the comforting words that she knew I needed to hear. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, no matter what she tells me, I know that she is only just as scared of her as am I. Major Mason is no longer with us, the one man that I trusted to always save me from attacks like this and whilst I trust Carter with _my_ life, I am not entirely sure I trust her with the well being of my country. I know that she would do anything to save me, but if she has to make the choice of saving my life or saving Costa Luna, I am sure that she would allow this country, my father's country, to cease to exist.

I begged her to not become a protector like her father, I warned her of the consequences that would come if such a fight, like the one General Kane presented, such occurred. I warned her that giving up her life was a foolish thing to do, while it may seem honorable at the moment, years later I would only see it as a selfish choice. I recall the way that she looked at me with a smile that day, she told me that she would not do anything to risk leaving me even for a second, but she wanted to make a difference in someone's life, she wanted to be more than just some girl from Louisiana who sells bait. I understand that this is who she is, just as ruling Costa Luna is who I am, but I do not like the feeling of knowing that at any second she could be dead because of me. She had already given up so much to be with me, and I would not stand for knowing that she gave up her life as well. I just would not.

Her left arm is hugging tightly around my waist, I had not been aware of it until now. I smile softly as I trace the freckles down her tan skin, making a joke about the ones that resemble two eyes and a nose. I allow my fingers to trail down her soft skin until I am softly playing with her small fingers, pushing mine through the small space between them. I smirk at the golden ring upon her finger, recalling how warm the sand was the day that I placed it upon there, promising that I would love her until death do us part. I could never be with any one _but_ her, even if she did not always see it sometimes. She was my forever and always, nothing nor nobody, not even General Kane's daughter would ever change the way that I feel about her.

I watch as she slowly begins to awake, she lets out a soft groan when her nose presses into the pillow that smells like the two of us. Her body goes stiff for a moment as she shakes her head, a soft yawn slipping over her perfect lips before she slowly opens her eyes. She smiles when our eyes collide together in a loving stare, she scoots herself closer to me, pulling me hard toward her and I chuckle at how child like she is sometimes.

"Good morning, pretty girl," She mumbles, a smile curling at the edge of her lips and I feel the blush appearing in my cheeks. I do not understand how she can get to me in the simplest ways, with the softest touch, with the words that she speaks from her heart, she does not even have to try to be something that she is not. My mother once told me that if I fully understood why Carter made me feel this way or why my heart raced every time that she touched me, our love would not be as true or as passionate as it was, so I dared not question the things she does.

"Hi," I whisper as I sneak a kiss upon her lips and I felt her smile against my lips. We lay in silence as we become lost in each other's eyes and for one blissful moment I forget that I am responsible for a country, I forget that a bitter daughter is trying to take my world away from me, I am only aware of how unbelievably in love I am with Carter Mason. The girl who would have given up her life to live in captivity in Costa Luna just to know that I was happy and free, the girl who captured me with her smile and loving touch.

"How long have you been awake?" She asks and I am well aware that she does not want to know the true answer. I could only imagine the worry that would become etched in her dark brown orbs when I told her that I had been awake most of the night because I could not stop thinking about the impending attack that was sure to come in the following days. I could not tell her that I had been thinking of what I would do if I lost Costa Luna to his daughter, or how I would react if I watched her take a bullet for me whilst I lived in a life without her. I could not tell her how afraid I was, because I knew exactly how she would react and I was not going to be responsible for knowing that I was the one who put her in that place.

"It does not matter. All that matters is that I am awake and alive and in bed when you woke up this morning, just like I promised to you that I would be. See, you do not have to worry about Emily because she is not the one that I married, you are. You are the one that I want to watch wake up every morning even if you fight it for a while," I tease her and the blush quickly appears in her cheeks as she lets out an embarrassed giggle. She reaches forward, brushing my messy hair behind my ear and she scratches the discreet skin softly, and it takes me a moment to catch my breath.

"You should have woke me up," She states and I shrug my shoulders with a smirk, trying to not focus on the urging pain that was rushing over my petite body from her tempting touch, I swallow hard before I speak.

"I could not. Are you aware of how cute you are when you are sleeping?" I ask her and she shakes her head as a smile quickly appears on her cheeks. Sometimes I wonder what my father would have thought about Carter taking the equal to the throne, if he would have been accepting of my love for her or if he would have brushed it off as a disgrace. I am curious if he would have liked her and the way that she sacrificed everything that she ever knew to make sure that I was happy and safe.

"You are something else, you know that, Rosalinda? You are more than I ever imagined you could be," She says and I smile as I allow my lips to meet with hers. She kisses me hard as her fingers twist in my dark brown curls, my heart races eraticially in my chest and it takes everything that I have to control myself. Her hands slowly slip from my hair, trailing down the skin that was revealed through my pink silk pajama top and I shiver against her lips. She wraps her hands around my waist, pulling me hard on top of her as she smirks, pulling me into another kiss. I felt the moan slip from the back of my throat into her kiss. She chuckles softly, only low enough to make sure that I can hear her and I smile into another warm kiss with her. I take her hands in mine as I push them above her head with a soft groan before I pull away, placing a soft kiss upon her nose.

"I wish I could," I whisper against her lips and she groans with a hard roll of her eyes and I hate myself for making her feel the way that I knew she did. She blinks her long eyelashes softly, normally what would have been enough to allow me to give into my desires and forget about everything that I am responsible. Sometimes I wish that I could be that person for her, the one who did not have to worry about being in control of a country and simply worry about being her new wife and taking every chance that I had to be with her.

"Let me guess. You have to go do something for Costa Luna _with_ Emily?" She asks and I smile sadly. She chuckles as I watch the tears that quickly fill in her eyes, but she pushes them away with a soft breath of air outward and I wish that I could take it all away for her, I wish that things did not have to be so complicated.

"It is not like I have a choice, Carter. It is not like I am choosing to leave your bed to sign some papers that have been sitting on my desk for _months _and it is not like I am choosing to sit with her all day, discussing the politics for this island and what is best for them. I do not have a choice in this, because if I did then I would chose to be with you. You know this," I explain and she only rolls her eyes with a weak laugh.

"No, you **do **have a choice. You are the queen, it's not like she can do anything without you. I haven't got to spend any time with you since we came back to Costa Luna. It's not just about you being with Emily, it's just about you being with every one _but_me. And I don't want to sound selfish, but you know, I miss you. I miss being with you," She whispers and I sigh as I softly kiss her once again, my heart swelling with the utmost amount of love.

"I miss you, too. Believe me, I do. I wish that I could spend today with you instead of Emily, but I can not. Costa Luna is who I am, I am responsible for protecting them and giving them the best life possible. I want to make a difference, like my father. Just like you are making a difference because of what your father did. But I do not want you to feel like you are second in my life, because that is just simply _not_ true. If anything, you are the single most important thing in my life," I demand and she nods her head with a sad smile as she kisses me.

"I know. Sometimes it just doesn't seem that way," She mumbles and I shake my head as I kiss her hard and passionately. I pull away, leaving my forehead against hers as we both heave for a breath and I watch the smile curl at her lips and it almost breaks my heart.

"I never want you to feel that way. Never. And I am sorry that you ever did," I exclaim and she nods her head with a sniffle.

"I know you are. I know that you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. You are too cute and kind to ever purposely cause any one pain. And I know that you can't help the fact that you are in control of Costa Luna or that you have to work with Emily. Your mother hired her, which means that she thinks that she will be good for you, she wants her to help you so that you can spend more time with me. I guess I just have to get over this whole sharing you thing, even though I don't like it. I miss having you all to myself, like when you stayed with us that fall. I-I guess, I miss Rosie. But, I love you. Both of you. And I hope that even though I am acting like a total ass right now, you know that," She explains and I giggle at the fact that she curses, it was something that a Queen would never be caught dead doing, but I must admit, Carter has talked me into doing _a lot_ that a queen should never be doing.

"Of course I know that," I reply and she lets out a breath of air before we share another short kiss. I stare down at her, noticing the way that her eyes sparkled behind her brunette hair, the cute freckle that she has inches above her eyebrow, the scar that she has on her cheek from where she picked at a chicken pox and I honestly can not imagine her not being in my life. "Hey, I am going to leave this whole meeting a little early. You want to spend some alone time with me?" I ask and she looks at me with a smug grin upon her face.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to ditch when they need you. I mean, what if there is an emergency?" She asks and I shrug my shoulders with a soft laugh. I recall the first time that she and I got into a fight, it was after I nominated her for homecoming queen and she told me that she ordered me to take a short walk of the pier. I can still see the anger in her eyes, the passion, the fire, I think it was at that single moment when I knew that Carter Mason and I would always have something that I would never have with any one _but _her.

"If there is an emergency, they know where to find me. Besides, that paperwork has been on my desk for _months_ now, I am sure that another few hours is not going to kill any one. I say that you and I go out to the pond, feed the ducks because they have been missing you. Or we can go shopping, because it is always fun watching you sigh every time that I try to buy you a new outfit. Or we can go dancing, I have the most perfect dress for you! Or, you know what? It does not matter what we do or where we are as long as we are together. Come on, what do you think? Please, Carter? _Please_?" I beg, sticking my bottom lip out, batting my eyelashes softly and she laughs with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Fine. I'll do this whole date thing with you," She down plays it but I know that she is just as excited about spending some time with me as I am her. I squeal in excitement as I kiss her once again and she laughs, pulling away as she sits up in the bed, her hair falling in brunette curls around her face, "five o'clock sound good?" She asks and I swallow hard as I push myself off the bed, brushing my hair away from my face.

"Sounds perfect," I smile before I exit, closing the door behind me. I leave my hand upon the brass doorknob as I press my forehead against the door, searching hard for the breath that she has taken away from me. Slowly, I feel my heart begin to slow down and I smile innocently with a quiet giggle, it was unhealthy what she was doing to me, but it was the most amazing feeling.

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I am actually amazed at the amount of paper work that has gathered upon my desk since I have been away. I did not think that I was gone away with Carter that long, I had given us a few weeks for our honeymoon, just enough time so that the two of us knew how the other wold be in terms of marriage. Yet, there is a huge pile of papers that need my signature upon my desk, a pile that no matter how many of them I sign, seems to keep growing. There was something about the airport gaining a few more destinations, I simply signed knowing that the more planes that docked here, the more money that we would gain because of tourists. There was a paper about someone filing a compliant about their neighbors dog, I simply discarded it with a soft chuckle. I did not take care of those problems, that was Emily's job.

I glance over at the girl who had been working quietly at her own desk, her laptop opened in front of her as she chews one of her nails. Her hair is twisted up in a messy poiny tail, her nails are faded a soft black from previous paint. She is wearing a soft red t-shirt that mentions something about the band All Time Low, and a pair of faded jeans with red flip flops on her feet. Clearly, it was not the attire that a Queen should be wearing, but I could not help but make the note of how comfortable she looked and how the bright red make her blue eyes sparkle against her blond hair. I swallowed hard as I once again refocused upon the pile of paperwork in front of me, reading a few sentences before I find myself looking at Emily once again. This time she catches my gaze with an embarrassed smile and I chuckle as I slowly slip from my large desk and sit on the sofa that was seated perfectly between our two desks.

"Next time that I decide to get married, remind me to take _that_ paperwork with me," I chuckle, rubbing my temple with my two fingers and she giggles softly with a simple nod of her head. She types a few more words on her laptop before she sits in the chair across from me, pulling her feet under her as she rests her elbows upon her knees, watching me with careful eyes.

"I don't think you are going to be getting married again any time soon. From what I have seen, Mrs. Mason is completely crazy about you. I don't think that she would let anything or any one tear the two of you apart. If your marriage did end, it would have to be at your own hand and I don't think that you are going to let that happen either," She states, picking at a patch on her jeans and I can't help but notice how shy she seems when she is alone with me. She is a completely different person when she is with Carter than when she is with me and now I only wonder if Carter's jealousy was causing her to misjudge this beautiful woman.

"No. I do not want to be with any one but Carter. The only way that our relationship would ever end would be because I thought it was best for her, you know? I do not want her to be stuck in this relationship if she is not happy because that is all that I have ever wanted for her ever since I was sent to live with her and Major Mason. I love her and I do not think that is ever going to change, I do not think that I can ever feel this way about any one other than her," I explain and she nods her head softly, remaining silent and I take notice of every little small thing that makes her who she is. The way that her dimples are revealed every time that she smiles, the way that she laughs at the awkward silence that falls around us when we have nothing else to say, the way that she twists her hair around her finger when she is nervous. She is so innocent and kind, I wish that Carter could see this.

"I don't blame you. When you find someone who makes you feel that way, you have to hold on tight to them and never let them go. True love only occurs once or twice in a life time if you are lucky. It's a scary thought to think that there are billions of souls in this world but there is only one person that you are meant to be with. I didn't believe in that or in love stories or happily ever afters until I saw you with Carter. It makes me totally rethink everything that I decided was _so_right before you," She explains with a swift nod of her head and I smile in acknowledgement. There was something about her that seemed so familiar, something that made me feel so _safe_ with her.

"That is sweet of you to say, thank you. But enough talking about me, you already know everything about me. I feel like I do not even know you and that is not fair. Tell me about yourself, Emily or else I will forced to play twenty questions with you and neither one of us wants to do that," I threaten her, squinting my eyes tightly and she giggles, running her fingers through her hair as the blush quickly appears in her cheeks. She does not say anything for a moment as she softly plays with her fingers and the smile quickly curls at my lips, "I am serious about the twenty questions thing. I will ask you anything and everything, I have no limitations. So, if I was you, I think I would start talking." She laughs once again before she shifts in her seat, allowing her dark blue eyes to collide with my own.

"There isn't really anything interesting that you should know about me. I've had a pretty boring life, actually," She says and I roll my eyes with a quiet laugh as I push myself toward her only slightly, brushing a stray hair away from my face.

"A beautiful woman like you? Boring? I doubt it. I think you are just being shy, which is cute considering that I am the Queen and all. But I promise, I will not let them have your head because of whatever you tell me. I'm not listening as Queen of Costa Luna, I am listening as Rosalinda Mason, your co-worker, your friend. Come on, tell me what your life is like. Where are you from? Who are your parents? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are you in a relationship? Do you have any pets? Just say something," I tease with a laugh and she blushes. She licks her lips as she sucks in a breath before she rolls her eyes and begins talking.

"Uh, well, my name is Emily Penelope Robbins. I'm not from here, I know, surprising, huh? I'm actually from a small city up north. I was adopted, I didn't find out who my biological parents were until I was nineteen. I was so angry at my parents for keeping that secret from me, it took me a while to find my real parents but I finally did. Turns out, my dad is a real sweet guy, he's pretty powerful, too. But he got into some trouble with the law, I guess even the most sweetest and kindest guys are not above the law. I haven't seen him in like two years," She explains, she pauses with a long silence and I watch her with the most concerned eyes, hanging onto her every word like it was the last ones I would ever hear.

"I had a brother in my adopted family. His name was Josh. He was the most amazing brother that you could ever have, maybe that's a little biased but it's true. He always made sure that I was okay, that I was happy. Every time that I had my heart broken, he would sit up with me during the night, hold me while I cried, then he would show up at school the next day to make their lives a living hell. He was the...best. Then he decided that he wanted to sign up to fight in the war, even though we all pleaded for him to not go, but if you knew Josh, you would know that it was like talking to a wall. He had his first deployment a few years back and what time he was away I met this girl. And my God, Rosalinda, she was the most amazing, beautiful, sweet, kind, loving woman that I ever met," She smiles and I notice.

"When he came back, he found out that I was a lesbian and that I was with her and he totally lost it. He told me that what I was doing was sick, it was wrong and I was going to burn in hell for my actions. My brother never hit me until that day, but when he raised his hand to Casey, that was when I lost it. And um, I told him that I hated him and I hoped he died. He got redeployed a few days later and he..um, he got killed in a suicide bombing," Emily explains, choking up as the tears start rolling freely down her cheeks and I can not stop the tears from falling down my own cheeks as well.

"That's why I stopped all conversation with my parents. I-I couldn't talk to them and know that they blamed me for my brother's death. And they did. They said that if he had not found out that I was involved in a relationship with a woman, that he would have been more aware of his surroundings, he would have been aware that something was wrong and he wouldn't have died over there. I-I had to get out, so I found my biological parents. Then my father got arrested and his new wife did not agree with my lifestyle so I left. I came to Costa Luna because it is where Casey was from, I thought if I came here, I could find her again. But it turns out, she already has a wife and a beautiful little girl. And I suppose that I could have left, but I felt compelled to stay here, like it was the right thing to do. I got a nice little condo a few blocks away, your mother hired me to work as your assistant because I was qualified for the job and well...here we are," She explains, the tears spilling down her cheeks and I swallow the sob in my throat. I motion for her to come over to me and she does as I instruct, she takes a seat on the sofa next to me, allowing me to wrap my arm around her.

"Oh my God, Emily that is so horrible. I wish....I wish that there was something that I could do," I whisper, placing my chin on her shoulder and she laughs softly with a sniffle. She shakes her head as she pulls away, brushing her hair away from her face and I try to not notice the pain tht was hidden behind her bittersweet tears.

"It's fine. You didn't know and it's not like you have a time machine that can send me back in time and stop me from telling my brother that I hated him. I was just...so angry at him for not understanding, you know? I was his little sister, I found someone who made me feel completely happy, someone who made me feel alive and I thought that was enough to make him be happy. But I was wrong. I shouldn't have said but....I just didn't understand. How could you judge someone for being happy? How could you not...." Her voice trails off as she allows a soft cry to escape her and I pull her close to me, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead as I rub soft circles into her back, just like Carter did to me so many nights when I cried over my father. She sniffles, pulling away as she looks at me through her tear filled eyes.

"What about you? How did your mother react when you told her about you and Carter?" I am suddenly taken back to that summer when I invited Carter to come and stay with me, to how we went behind my mother's back and kept our secret hidden from all but Mr. Elegante. That was the summer when everything changed between my mother and I, and Carter and I, that was the summer that I made the decision that changed the rest of my life forever.

"I think that telling any parent that you are gay is one of the worst things that they can ever hear. While I was happy, I knew that she would not be. Every parent has their child's life planned out for them while they are still in the womb, even if they don't tell you. Telling someone whether it is your mother or your brother that you are in love with someone of the same sex as you, is terrifying. It is like all the dreams they have for you are crashing around them. Husband. Children. It is all gone. And it scares them because they do not know if you are safe or happy," I explain and she listens with curious eyes and I chuckle softly to myself.

"I told my mother the summer that I moved Carter out here. She thought that I was just letting her stay because we were friends and Major Mason was gone away on a mission and I let her believe that for a really long time. I made sure that we did not get caught kissing each other or holding hands or doing anything romantic related. But finally I got tired of hiding her because it made me feel like I was ashamed of our love and I was not. I am still not ashamed of her. So one night, when it was just my mother and I in the living room, I sat her down and I told her about the time that I spent with Carter. I told her about how she made me feel, like I was more than just some princess, that she made me feel like I actually made a difference in the world. I told her that I had these feelings for her, that while I knew that she would not be accepting, I was tired of hiding it from her. I told her that I was not ashamed of being in love with Carter, that I knew that she was the only person that I could ever be in love with, the only person that I could ever be happy with and as her daughter, I hoped that was enough to keep her still loving me," I paused, squinting my eyes as the crashing silence of that night came back into memory, I could still see the bitter tears in my mother's eyes when I told her that I was not in love with a boy.

"What did she say?" Emily encourages me, placing her hand on my shoulder and I look at her with a weak smile.

"She was quiet for a _really_ long time, then she just told me goodnight and went upstairs. I remember that I cried so hard that night because I thought that I had lost my mother, I remember that Carter came into my room and she held me and told me that she was so sorry for everything. And I...I realized that I was not. While, I may have lost my mother, losing Carter would have been much harder for me. Then that morning, when Carter and I was eating breakfast together, my mother came downstairs, she looked at the two of us, at how happy we were and she told me that she was happy for me," I reply with a sniffle and Emily chuckles with a warm laugh and it makes my heart stop. I look at her, our eyes crashing together and I only wish that I could take away the pain that I knew was eating away at her inside.

"Then you are really lucky, Rosalinda. Because you still have your mother and you have Carter. Don't ever take that for granted, not even for a second. Carter is a lucky woman to be with someone like you, and I know that she may seem like she's being impossible because she does not want to share you with me but I have to say, that if I was in her shoes, I'd be the same way. If you were mine, I wouldn't want to share you with any one else either," She whispers and I nod my head with a simple smile, feeling the blush flush into my round cheeks. Suddenly, a warm yawn escapes from me and I quickly apologize with a soft giggle, "you want to take a nap with me? I'm pretty tired too." She offers and I wrinkle my brow, glancing at the clock, it was only a little past three.

"Uh, yeah. I suppose it would not hurt. I have a date with Carter at five and I do not want to be yawning the entire evening. That would be extremely rude of me," I reply and she nods her head in understanding as she places a pillow in her lap. I slowly slide down into the sofa until I am laying in her lap and she slowly runs her fingers through my hair. I listen to the stillness of the room as she softly exhale and inhale and I smile when I think of Carter in bed this morning. Emily was right, I was _really _lucky to have her.

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I tossed slightly, allowing my nose to meet against the pillow as I let out a soft breath. I groan as I toss on my back, squinting my eyes before I opened them to find Emily, smiling down at me. It takes me a moment to realize exactly what I was doing here but when I do, I only smile back up at her, mesmerizing every pigment of blue in her eyes. I sigh as I slowly raise up, rubbing the back of my neck softly as I groan at the fact that I was sleeping in a right angle for such a long period of time. I glance up at the clock to find it twenty-five minutes after eight and my heart stops in my chest. Carter.

"Oh my God. Carter. Oh my God!" I exclaim as I quickly jump to my feet, throwing the door of my office open. I dash out of the office, uncaring of how my hair was in a mess, how wrinkly my clothes were or how I was not presenting myself in a very queen like fashion. I run to the stairwell to find her sitting in the bend of the stairwell in a very fancy dress with Thomas beside of her. His hand is on her knee and I notice the rivers of mascara that is running down her chest and my heart twists in my chest. She looks up at me and there is something in her eyes, something that I had never seen there before. Disappointment. I shake my head as my lips move but no words escape from me and I can't help but feel so small standing in front of her now.

"Carter. Carter, I am so sorry. I was in there with Emily and we started talking and I..." But Emily comes out, interrupting me.

"That was so amazing, Rosalinda. Thanks. I am glad that it was you in there because I don't think that I could have done that with anybody else. I hope that we can do it again sometime soon," She kisses me upon the cheek and I swallow hard, trying to not think about the anger that was now rushing over my wife, "I'll see you tomorrow? Bye, Rosalinda." She smiles, her eyes collide hard with Carter's and I notice the right side of her lips turn up in a weird smile, "Carter." She nods her head before she exits from the palace. I look back at Carter who is now crying once again and she shakes her head softly as the cries escape from her.

"I can't believe you would do this. I-I thought you said that I was most important...I thought that we were....I can't...I can't do this, Rosalinda. I'm sorry...I just...I can't," She whispers before she disappears up the stairs, the slamming of our bedroom door echoes through the stairwell and I cringe with a sigh. I twist my fingers in my hair as I walk up the stairs, sitting beside of Thomas, who's dark brown eyes collide with mine and I feel so small, so child like, it takes me back to the time that he and I broke the window to my father's office when we were playing outside.

"Look, Thomas, it is not what you think, okay?" I explain and he shakes his head with a soft laugh. He holds his head in his hands for a moment as he scratches his dark brown hair before he looks back at me and I am fully aware of the beautiful girl that I had just broken because of my own lapse in better judgement.

"It is not what I think? Well, you do not even know what I think. Or what Carter thinks for that matter because if you did, you would not have been in there with Emily," He snaps and I pull away, my brow wrinkled as I allow a soft gasp to escape from me. There is anger in his voice, anger that I do not associate when I think of Thomas. Where did his kind, compassionate words go? When did he stop telling me that it was going to be okay? When did this turn into an argument about how it was wrong of me to be with Emily instead of Carter tonight?

"Do you know what I think? I think that you are being really stupid, Rosalinda. And I am telling you this as your friend. You know that Carter is feeling really insecure right now about the fact that the two of you have not spent any time together. You told her this morning that she was the most important thing in your life, correct? You said that you would make time for her tonight and you two would go on a date, you said that it did not matter where you were as long as you were together. So she puts on a fancy dress even though she _hates_ it, just because she knows how much you love them, she does her hair and paints her nails, two of things that make her sick to her stomach to even think about doing because she knows that you think it is cute and it makes you happy. A-and then you forget about your date? And you are in there, doing what? Having sex with Emily?" He points out and before I am even aware of it, my hand is colliding hard with his face. I heard the smack echo through out the palace and I pull away, looking at him through my tear filled eyes just to find his own matching mine.

"You..you think that I had sex with her?!" I exclaim and he laughs, rubbing the red streaks that I left behind.

"Well, what do you think Carter is going to think? You come out here, your hair is a mess, your clothes are all wrinkled and then Emily comes out and hers is too. And she tells you that she had an amazing time, that she could not have done that with any body else and she wants to do it again sometime soon? Even the most trustworthy partner is going to think that you had sex with her!" He explains and my heart twists in my chest. How could she think that? How could she think that I would not be faithful to her? How could she possibly think that I would want to be with someone else other than her?

"I know you, Rosalinda. I know that you would never cheat on any one, especially Carter. But I also know what she is thinking because she was telling me about how you were when you were with Emily and the way that Emily is when she is around you. She told me about how Emily said that you marrying Carter was a mistake and that she was going to be with you before everything ended. She is so scared that she is going to lose you and then when she saw you, all messy and Emily..and she kissed you...I guess, she just..she panicked. And I know that you do not mean to hurt her but maybe you should stop and think about her for a moment. She is going through a lot right now with this whole General Kane mystery daughter thing, she is scared that she is not going to be able to protect you and she....there is a lot going on in her head, a lot that she will never tell you. She just wanted tonight to be special for the two of you, she wanted to spend time with you and show you how much she loved you," He exclaims and I shake my head, the tears falling from my eyes as I hold my head in my hands.

"I would not do that her. Ever. I...I did not know that she is....I screwed up _so_ bad," I cry and he only laughs with a simple shake of his head as he wraps his arm around me, pulling me close to him as he places a kiss upon my head. I look at him through my tear filled eyes and I can't help but laugh through the tears when I notice the smile upon his face, "I love her, Thomas." And he only nods his head with a laugh.

"I know. She does too. But maybe you should learn how to show it a little better, hun," He jokes and I blush with a laugh.

**

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**

I stand in the doorway of our bedroom, watching the fragile girl who sat in our bed with her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. I notice the shorts and t-shirt that she is wearing and I smirk at knowing that even though she is equal to the throne of Costa Luna, she is still the same Carter that I met that fall. I notice the emptiness in her eyes along with the tears and my stomach twists like an anchor has been dropped inside of me. How could I do this to her? How could I let her believe that I cared more for Emily than her? I was not aware of all the things that was going through her head before now, I was not aware of how scared she was of Emily, of General Kane's daughter, of how much she felt like she was ultimately going to lose me. I shake my head as the tears appear in my own eyes, I swallow the cry in my throat as I push the door all the way open,

Her eyes collide hard with mine and it is like she is cutting right through me. She does not say anything instead she only refocuses her attention back onto the picture that hung on the wall of us at our wedding. I smile at the photo, of the way that her arm is wrapped around my waist, the way that we are both looking at each other with the largest smiles on our face. It was a different world for us at that moment in time, unlike now. I wrinkle my brow before I walk over to the nightstand, grabbing a silver CD as I placed into the player and the soft melody fills the room. Her eyes quickly meet with mine and I smile softly as I hold my hand out toward her.

"May I have this dance, Mrs. Mason?" I ask softly and she looks at my palm for a long while before she finally slips her hand within mine. I softly pull her to her feet as I place my hands upon her waist and her arms wrap protectively around my neck as we slowly began to sway back and forth to the song of our love, the song that was everything that we were.

_I'll sing it one last time for you  
Then we really have to go  
You've been the only thing that's right  
In all I've done_

_And I can barely look at you  
But every single time I do  
I know we'll make it anywhere  
Away from here_

_Light up, light up  
As if you have a choice  
Even if you cannot hear my voice  
I'll be right beside you dear_

Our eyes are lost in each other's as I count the swirls in her dark brown orbs and I lose my breath as I steal hers. We slowly move around in soft circles as the soft melody echoes off the walls around us, I finally stop counting in beats of four, instead I only move the way that I feel like I should. I never break my eyes away from hers as the tears quickly fill in my eyes and she smiles sadly at me, knowing exactly what I was thinking of.

"I love you, Carter. Not Emily," I whisper and she only nods her head as she slowly closes the distance between our bodies, pulling me tighter to her. I recall the first time that we danced to this song, it was pouring the rain outside, it was after we had our first fight as a couple and she played me this song and told me about how I was the only good thing that ever happened to her. It was amazing how something so simple can mean so much.

"I know. I just feel like no matter what I do, I am going to lose you anyway. Maybe it won't be to Emily but what about General Kane's daughter? I have no idea who she is. Director is trying to give me a name or a face but nobody seems to know anything about her, apparently she is some secret love child or something. A-and I can't protect you from someone when I have no idea who they are. And seeing you with Emily tonight, knowing that you were with her instead of me after we promised that we would do this date thing...I just...I can't lose you to her," She cries and I shake my head with a warm smile as I step toward her, slowing our dance down only slightly.

"She was telling me about her life. About how she was adopted and her brother did not accept the fact that she was a lesbian. She told me about how he hit her and her girlfriend and how she told him that she hated him and wanted him to die. And he did, Carter. He died. And her parents blamed her. Her and her girlfriend broke up, so she came to Costa Luna to find her, only to find that she is married and has a baby. But I swear, we did not do anything. I would never do that to you. Especially after the talk that Emily and I had. About how lucky I am to have a love like ours. I am not going anywhere and neither are you. You are my forever," I exclaim and I brush away the tears that are now streaming down her cheeks as I choke back my own sob.

"Promise? Because I don't think that I could handle losing you," She cries and I can only smile.

"I swear," I whisper as I pull her into a long kiss. She sighs as she pulls away, leaving our foreheads together as we slowly dance to the music and we are so close that I can feel her heart beating a perfect rhythm. I look at her through my tear filled eyes and I can not stop the words from spilling out of me, "You are the only thing that's right, in all I have done, Carter Mason." I whisper and I feel her lips collide hard with mine. Suddenly we are not worried about being responsible for a country or who may catch us, suddenly we are far to lost in one another to care about anything else but the other. She wraps her legs around my waist as I softly lay her back on the bed, my body hovering above hers as I stare down at her with nothing but the utmost love in my eyes. She sniffles slightly as she reaches forward, pushing her fingers through my hair and I can not help the tears falling from my own eyes.

"I love you _so_ much. Never forget that," She demands and I simply nod my head before I lose myself in a round of pleasurable kisses as our bodies began to move as one underneath the white silk sheets. Fingers became tangled in hair as clothes became a memory on the floor, all innocence was lost to one another as I realized that I needed nothing more than the girl below me. I did not need Costa Luna. Emily. I only needed Carter. Forever. Always.

_Louder louder  
And we'll run for our lives  
I can hardly speak I understand  
Why you can't raise your voice to say_

_To think I might not see those eyes  
Makes it so hard not to cry  
And as we say our long goodbye  
I nearly do_

_Light up..._

_Slower slower  
We don't have time for that  
All I want is to find an easier way  
To get out of our little heads_

_Have heart my dear  
We're bound to be afraid  
Even if it's just for a few days  
Making up for all this mess_

_

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_

**Thoughts? Comments? Review please.**


	6. Five: She's My Favorite Sin

I love you guys. You are my best friends. I don't know if I have ever told you that, but you are. You make my horrifically horrible days so much better, I just read your feedback and it is like, everything just goes away. Thank you for the kind words about my personal life, I wish that I could inform you that it is better, but honestly, it's not. Maybe some day... =/ But thank each and every one of you for being there.

This chapter isn't as emotional as the last, in fact there is like _no _Emily what so ever in this! Yay! It's pretty much just a lot of fluff, I'm giving the girls some alone time together because I think that they deserve it. So there is happiness and then they are also tears and determination and secrets. The usual. Just always remember 'secrets don't make friends', maybe someone should tell our ladies that? (;

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**Rosie's P.O.V**

"_Nothing in life can prepare a heart for the power of love, nor can anything replace it. Delicious. Messy. Alchemy." _-Jennifer Nettles

Our bedroom smells like sex. I know that it is not something that a queen should be thinking about, but as I slowly feel myself begin to awake, that is _all _that I can think about. Last night was amazing, yet terrifying at the same time. I have never been so close to losing her before, I have never been so scared that I was going to watch her walk out the door, get in a plane and fly a million miles away from me. I do not know what is going through her head lately, the insecurities that she has for Emily and I are exceeding what I ever thought they were and it is to the point where I am curious if it is even logical to listen to her anymore. Whilst, I understand her fear over the looming friendship between the two of us, I married her and I do not regret that. Not for a second.

The Egyptian cotton sheets are wrapped around my body tightly and I smirk as the actions of last night play through my head like a beautiful movie. She was the sweetest love that I had ever known, the only person that could make me tremble with just a soft touch, the only person who can steal my breath with a smile. I may be a little biased given the fact that she was my first. My first kiss. My first love. My first time. My first everything. Yet, when I saw her the night of homecoming I knew that I did not want to be with anyone but her. She could have died that night and she would have, if I had not figured out the plan. I was always curious how she could be so selfless but now I understand because I, too, would give my life for her.

I pulled the white sheet up over my face to hide the smile that stretched from one side to the other. I feel like a giddy little girl, still nervous, still amazing, still wanting to say all of the right things to make sure that this feeling never ends. I have been with her for such a long time, yet I am still afraid of doing something that sends her running and I had been blissfully unaware that my relationship with Emily may do just that. It is times like these when I wonder what I am afraid of losing most: Costa Luna or Carter? Costa Luna was who I was yet Carter is everything that I am, Costa Luna is all that I have left of my father yet Carter is the only person that I want to live for. I know eventually the time will have to come when I must make a decision between the two, but the time was not now, not with General Kane's daughter proposing such a threat to all of our lives. I still can not understand how someone could be so selfish, how some girl that has not even met me, is threatening to take away the only life I know. How could she possess such a serious threat to not only I nor Costa Luna but Carter as well?

I can not stop thinking about what Thomas said earlier, of how there was so much going on in Carter's head that she would never tell me of. I know that she would never keep things from me on purpose, for she had always been honest and open, yet I can not stop wondering exactly _why_she had chosen to tell Thomas instead of me. Did she not think I would understand? Well, maybe I would not. She had given up her entire life to move here to Costa Luna with me, now she was equal to the thrown, she had to protect me from this incoming invader that we know nothing of and protect this country as well, without her father. I was aware that the anniversary of his death was looming closely and I was only curious if that was also what was plaguing her mind as of late. After seeing her last night, curled up on the bed with a look that even I could not recognize in her eyes, I was painfully aware of how very little I knew of my wife.

The door squeaks open softly as a quiet giggle escapes from her body and I smirk from under the cotton sheets. She had never truly been very good at making her presence unknown, for she was never the most graceful type to begin with. Hearing her stumble around the room now, takes me back to the night that she crept down the hallway to be with me even though my mother strictly told us that we were to be in bed by ten o'clock. She had been so very clumsy that night, tripping over her own feet as she closed my door behind her with a quiet laugh; I can still feel her in my arms, I can still smell the scent of her sweet perfume she wore that night. Hearing her shuffling feet against our hardwood flooring suddenly made me feel very much of seventeen years old again. She quiets a laugh as she steadies herself near my bed, sitting something down upon the night stand before she straddles herself upon my waist. I swallow the laugh as she pulls the sheet from my head, her dark brown eyes colliding hard with my own and I struggle to catch the breath that she had unknowingly taken away from me. She smiles bashfully at me, mysteries written in the swirls of her eyes, words that she would never say to me, so many things that I would never know but oddly, I was okay with that.

"I told Sophia that you were not still asleep. She told me that I had at least another half hour to finish your breakfast but clearly I know you better than she does," She chuckles, quite proud that she knew me better than my own mother. Staring up at her, I recall the way that her body swayed against mine last night, just as innocently as the night that we shared our first dance as a married couple to the exact same song. It had been so innocent that night, with tears in her eyes, she whispered about how beautiful I was in my wedding dress and I tried to not acknowledge the break in her voice as I complimented her as well. It does not seem as if we have been together as long as we have, but watching her now, I realize that forever would come far to fast with her.

"How could I sleep without you? How could I forget about what happened last night?" I smirk and she raises her eyebrow with a devious chuckle. She had been the first person that I had sex with, the first person that I let down my walls for and I tried to pretend that I was not scared, even though my body trembled every time that she touched me. I remember that it was storming that night, we had just had the biggest fight only a few days before, neither one of us had spoke to one another in days. Then she shows up outside my door, drenched from the thundering sky that rumbled above us and she told me that she loved me, it was always over from the beginning with her.

"Last night was special. It was amazing. I-I....it takes a lot for me to let down my walls like that. And after seeing you with Emily...they just...they start crumbling. I saw it all going away. Our love. My life. Nothing would ever matter if you weren't with me. Then seeing you, here, asking me to dance and hearing you tell me about how much you loved me....I'm not usually like this with any one, Rosie. But you're...you're different. You make me sound like a washed up hallmark card and I kinda like it," She grins with a simple batting of her eyelashes and it caused my heart to come to a beating stop. I reach forward, allowing my fingers to slip through her silky brunette curls and I watch as she gnaws softly on her bottom lip.

"You always were an in closet romantic. You still are. You just think it makes you seem weak if you say what you are feeling, you always have been that way. You think that you have to be this tough girl who keeps everything inside because if you do not, then you are weak and you are just as much as an emotional wreck as every one else. And Joe taught you to be more than that, more than normal. But you know what? As hard as it is to get you to let down your walls, I love you even more when you do," I explain and I watch as the smile plays at her perfect lips. She presses her lips carefully against mine, smiling deeply into the kiss and when she pulls away, it as if she has taken my heart straight out of my chest.

"You are the only person who can say things like that and make me feel like some type of giddy little school girl who just got a wink from her crush. You make me feel so much more than Donny or Ed ever could have. And no matter what happens now, I always want you to know that. I always want you to know that you mean the world to me," She whispers into another kiss, but I am the one to pull away with a wrinkled brow.

"No matter what happens now?" I ask in confusion and she shakes her head, pushing her lips against mine to stop me from talking. I kiss her back half heartily before she pulls away with an innocent sparkle in her eyes and the gears in my head softly begin to turn as I try to figure out all the secrets that she is keeping from me, how they are woven in a web that could ultimately lead to our demise.

"Listen, I talked to Sophia and Emily and they are willing to let you have today off. They said that you deserved a day just to yourself and if any pressing matters presented themselves that they would give us a call. So, I was wondering if I could still take you up on that offer about making a day just for the two of us? Remember, you said that it doesn't matter what we do, as long as we are together?" She asks and I stare up at her, still trying so desperately to figure her out and she smirks with a grin, "do you want to go on a date with me, Rosalinda Mason?" I roll my eyes with a quiet chuckle, biting my bottom lip before I softly nodded my head.

"Yes, I would like that very much," I reply and I watch as she nods her head with a bashful smile. I knew that there would always be so much about Carter that I would never understand, so much that she would never tell me, but staring into her dark brown eyes now, I could not help but feel worried. Worried for what would become of my country. Worried of what would become of my family. But more importantly, I am worried of what will become of Carter and I with this imposing secret that she refuses to tell me. She lays down on top of me, placing her chin upon my chest as she looks up from behind her curls and she reminds me so much of the teenage girl dressed in an Caribbean blue dress at homecoming.

"Good because I didn't just make you breakfast in bed because it was romantic. I was hoping that it would convince you to leave the title of Queen behind for a day and just concern yourself of being with me," She whispers and I wrinkle my brow as I glance at the wooden tray that was sitting on the night stand next to me. It was decorated with napkins, toast, eggs, a glass of orange juice, a plate of pancakes and I can not stop the child like smile from appearing on my face and I hear her laugh quietly.

"You cook?" I exclaim in surprise and she laughs.

"Well don't sound all surprised. Dad and I weren't complete barbarians, we didn't always eat junk food. I do know how to cook, I just don't do it very often," She replies and I run my fingers through her hair, pulling her close to me.

"You made _me _breakfast?" I ask, still in surprise and she nods her head, with an innocence sparkle in her eyes. There was so much that she kept behind her walls, so much that she would never let any one but me see and I hated to know that people were missing out on such an amazing person. I hated the way that Brooke sneered at her at Prom when she entered with our fingers intertwined, I hated the way that people like Donny dismissed her as being simply 'bait girl' because she was far much more than that.

"You know that I would do anything for you, including risk my life over a steaming hot stove or in front of swinging blades. Not just because it's my job but because I love you. And even if I die, I'm always going to love you more than any one," She mumbles and I blink back the tears in my eyes. I had always known that it was a possibility that one day I would watch her give her life for me, but once the thought was actually appeared in my mind, I could not stop myself from becoming wrapped up in the possible reality of it. She sighs as she brushes away the stray tear that is escaping down my cheek and my heart screams for nothing more than the taste of her sweet lips against mine.

"You are not going to die. I will not let you. Do you hear me, Carter Mason? You are never going to leave me here to do this alone, okay? Because I can not. I need you. I need you here. With me. Every single day from now until forever. Nobody is going to take you away from me, not Emily, not this stranger that we know nothing about. I love you and I am not about to lose you just yet, I am not ready to be without you," I cry and suddenly her lips are colliding with my own. She opens her mouth to deepen the kiss as she pushes my arms above my head and I chuckle in the kiss as I change our positions so that I am above her and she giggles softly.

"Our date?" She mumbles in a kiss and I smile against her lips.

"Starts right now," I grin as I pull the sheets over our heads, pinning her arms above her head as our fingers quickly intertwine around one another. She wrinkles her nose with a soft laugh before our lips find their way together again, moving together as if they were alive to music, knowing when to push for more and when to break for air. Our legs become a tangled hot mess as we slowly begin to lose ourselves in each other, and I am fully aware of how bittersweet, how perfect this moment is. How I want nothing more than Carter Mason for the rest of my life.

**

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**

I could not help but feel like I was back in Louisiana with Joe and Carter as I made my way through the abundance of trees and bushes. Wearing Carter's faded blue jeans, converses and beat up baseball shirt, I feel nothing of a princess but very much of that as her wife. I recall the first time that I saw her enter our bedroom, wearing clothes such as these and I could not help but wonder why she was not wearing such fine dresses as I was accustomed to? For she was beautiful, like a princess, she was kind and caring, like a princess as well so I could not understand the reason why she did not wear such beautiful dresses and present herself in a royal fashion as I was taught. Then I suddenly realized that Carter was not the type for dresses, not the type for being girlie, or royal or concerned about her looks or what others thought about her, and that was truly what I loved about her. She is far much more than any one would ever see her being and she was mine, forever.

Her hand fits perfectly within mine as she clutches the picnic basket in the other, humming softly to a song that I do not recognize. We walk in sync together, each movement like a perfectly skilled artistic stroke against a blank canvas and I hide the smile that is playing at my lips when I feel her tracing the lines against my palm. The lines that wove together perfectly, just like the two of us. I notice the way that her hair is pushed up in a messy pony tail, the way that the sparkling sun of Costa Luna lights up against her tan and I can not help but feel my heart flutter at the sight of her beauty. She would never admit it, obviously, but she was the type of beauty that words could never capture.

I smile bashfully as the lake appears in front of us, shaded by a tree that is covered with orange and red tinted leaves. Most people know not that this lake exists, except for Carter and I, and I am glad that we are the only two who share this memory. I hear her chuckle beside of me as we come to a stop in front of the tree, both of us gazing at the beauty that is spread out in front of us. She gives my hand a soft squeeze as I catch her gaze and my breath becomes lost somewhere between my lungs and my chest.

"It's our place," She whispers softly as she sits the basket down upon the grass. She pulls out a blanket as she spreads it out beneath the tree, causing the wrinkles to disappear with a warm laugh. She slowly stands, brushing her hands on her jeans as she stares out at the lake that is decorated in an exceptional shade of blue. I watch her carefully, noticing every perfect feature upon her gorgeous face and I know that Joe would be proud of the woman that she has become today.

"Yes. It truly is ours. Our little corner of the world. Free from Emily, General Kane's daughter and every thing else that threatens our happiness," I whisper softly, blinking back the tears in my eyes. It does not seem like our entire world is being threatened, that at any moment everything could fall apart for the both of us, it does not seem like our lives could be over by one sling of a sword, one shot of a gun. For standing here, with her, it seems as if everything is perfect, as if everything has finally came together, as if everything has a purpose.

"Go ahead. Jump in. It's waiting for you," She beams and I chuckle as I toss my hair up in a pony tail like hers. I slowly take a few steps forward as I stand on the edge of a large rock, staring at the water that is alive with the golden sun. I play softly with the golden ring upon my left finger before I felt her arms around my waist, she places a soft kiss in the crook of my neck, just enough to steal my breath and allow me to swallow the moan in my throat. She laughs softly before she gives me a soft push and I felt the water surround me. I felt the pressure against my chest as I sink slowly into the water before I push myself up, breaking through the surface with a soft gasp. My eyes quickly find her, standing on the same rock, her arms resting tightly at her side and I am instantly taken back to the time that we were first here.

_"Come on! It will be fun!" I exclaim, floating in the cool summer water, the brisk breeze blowing through my damp hair. Carter is standing stiff on the rock, her eyes frozen in fear as she stares at the water. She scans her surroundings before her wide eyes meet mine and it is the first time that I truly realize that she is afraid. I had seen Carter be a lot of things in the time that I knew her, I have seen her be brave, annoying, strong, frustrating but I have never seen her be afraid of anything before, especially water. _

_"I-I-I-I can't. I can't do it. I'm sorry. I-I can't," She stutters, her voice weak and child like, and my heart breaks for her. I now wish that I had not brought her here for our date, I wish that I had taken her dancing, or shopping, or to the movies, anything but to this lake where she is clearly afraid of something that I am not aware of. _

_"Hey, you will be okay. I promise," I say, pushing myself closer to her but she still remains, frozen in her own fear. I stare up at her, as the sun brings her beautiful features to life and I have never been more in love with her more than I am at this moment in time, "what is wrong, Carter?" I ask and her eyes collide quickly with mine and it steals my breath and stops my heart. She blinks back the tears in her eyes, opening her mouth as she takes a long breath inward, swallowing the cry that is clearly evident in her voice. _

_"M-my mom. Uh, she drowned, Rosie. She was working at the bait shop one day and she was carrying in one of those large boats to repair and she slipped," I gasp inwardly as I watch her struggle to finish the rest of the story, "t-they say that she hit her head on the dock and that there would have been no way that she could survived that blunt force trama but s-still, I was four years old and all I could think is that the water took my mommy away. Dad...he uh..he tried to teach me how to swim but every time that I got anywhere close to the water, I would freak out and I...I...I can't do this. I can't..I'm sorry. I know that you really want me to but I can't get in there with you. Not after...I can't." She explains, the tears flooding down her cheeks and I shake my head, pushing the stray wet strands behind my ear. _

_"I will not let anything to happen to you. I will not. You will be fine, I will make sure of it. I understand that you are afraid, I do not blame you. When you lose a parent, it is always going to stay with you, trust me, I know that better than any one. But I also know what it is like to run from your fears. You can not run from this forever, because it will always find you and in the end it will lead to your demise. You are more this fear, Carter. So much more. I promise that I will protect you, I will save you, I will make sure that you are okay. I will make sure that nothing will happen to you. You just have to ask yourself how much do you trust me?" I explain and she stares at me for a moment, the tears still flooding down her cheeks. She swallows hard as she takes a step back before she allows herself to fall into the water with a splash. I watch as she falls downward into the water, I wait for a moment, watching as she floats for a moment before she bursts through the top of the water with a cough and a laugh. _

_"Rosie?!" She calls out in a panic and I chuckle with a smile. _

_"I am right here. I am always right here," I exclaim and she pushes herself toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck as we float in silence, "you trust me?" She gnaws on her bottom lip nervously before she softly nods her head with a smile. _

_"With all of my heart. I know that you won't let anything happen to me, you won't let me get hurt, it's not what a princess does," She mumbles and I chuckle as I press my lips softly against hers. _

_"It is not what someone who is in love with you does either," I chuckle before I felt her lips against mine once again._

She continues to stand there, staring out at the water with a squint as the breeze blows against the stray curl that is brushing against her cheek. I can tell that she is just as nervous as she was the day that she first jumped into the water, the fear is still etched in the dark brown swirls of her eyes, I can hear her heart still skipping a beat when she comes close to the cool water. Her eyes quickly meet mine as she lets out a shiver, rolling her shoulders, closing her eyes for a moment. My jaw locks tightly as I watch her with worried eyes, like a mother watching her child jump into the pool for the very first time, but there was more on the line for Carter and I, than the mother and the child. Suddenly, she pushes herself forward, tucking her knees under her as she splashes into the water, ripples surrounding me. There is silence for a moment before she appears at the top of the water with a gasp before she swims over to me with a bright smile.

"I am always going to protect you," I whisper, counting the swirls in her eyes and she beams with an innocent smile. I watch her in the water, so alive, so unafraid of the fact that her life could be over in a matter of moments because of some girl that neither one of us aware of who she may be. It does not seem right that I could lose her to someone does not even know the love the two of us share, that I could lose her because someone is selfish and is not even aware of exactly what Costa Luna means to me.

"It's _my_job to protect you. You don't have to protect me, I can protect myself, you know? I've been doing it for quite a while now and I've been doing a pretty good job at protecting the both of us," She chuckles against my lips as she softly kisses me and I pull away with a bashful smile. I brush her stray curl behind her ear, allowing my fingers to linger against her cheek longer than I should have and both us become caught up in the passionate desire that rushes through our veins for one another.

"Some day you are going to need to be rescued, Carter. And I'm going to be there. Always," I smile and she nods her head with a soft laugh before I felt her lips against mine and it does not take me long to start kissing her back. Both of us, caught in the moment as we float together, our bodies touching as the warm sun of Costa Luna sparkles down upon us, both of us lost in the innocence of loving one another.

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Both of us are spread out on the red blanket, telling stories about our lives together, about how Joe caught the two of us kissing one day and nearly had a heart attack. We talked about Prom, how beautiful we both looked, how we were very much princesses in our own way. We talked about my mother, how we both feared that she would never accept the way that the two of us felt about each other, that Costa Luna would become a distant memory of my past because I was not the type of leader that they were used to. We talked about future together, how we were going to grow old together, about our children and how nothing was better than the love that the two of us shared.

I watch as she laughs at the memory of Chelsea's face when I won Homecoming Queen, the way that her face comes to life and that child like wonder once again appears in her eyes. Sometimes with Carter, it is so easy to forget that I am the Queen of Costa Luna, it is easy to forget that my entire world could be ripped away by someone that I have never even met, it is easy to forget that I have everything that I ever worked for because she is all that I ever wanted. She takes a sip of her Coca-Cola as she stares out at the empty land that is silent, except for a few birds chirping in the trees that surround us.

"You know what would make this day even better?" She asks and I shake my head in confusion. She smiles, the water droplets in her hair sparkling like gold as she rummages through the basket and pulls out a knife. The gleam of the sunlight bounces across the blade, causing me to squint before I struggle to speak at the fact that she carries this around with her.

"Do you..um...do you always carry that around?" I stutter and she nods her head with a smile.

"You never know when danger is going to present itself. I have to be able to protect you at every occasion, no matter when or where it may be," She states as if she is reading it from one of her various books. I know that this job is everything that she ever wanted out of life, that it is the only thing that she truly has left iof her father but I wish that she would give it up. I know that she is not only protecting me because it is her job, but she is doing it because she is my wife and that is what scares me. It scares me to know that she would fight someone with such passion, such anger, to know that she would stop nothing to make sure that I was safe.

"Okay but why here? What danger presents itself here?" I ask and she rolls her eyes.

"Oh gee, I don't know, Rosie. Bears? Snakes? A crazed hunter? A wild stampede of deer? You never know what is going to happen, that is why it is dangerous. If you knew that someone was going to try to kill you at three o'clock tomorrow, you would be prepared and your life would not be at risk. Because it is unpredictable, that is why it is dangerous and that is why I _always_ carry this around with me. I am not going to let something, like a wild deer, take you away from me," She teases with a smile and I can not stop the laughter from escaping from my own lips as well. She slowly stands, brushing her hands off on her jeans before she stands in front of the tree. I slowly stand as well, watching as she pats on the tree before she presses the blade against the bark, creating a perfect heart. Her initials go in first, I chuckle before they are followed by a plus sign and then my own. It was so cliche, so right out of a movie, but it did not stop my heart from swelling with the utmost amount of love for her.

"Look. There you go again, being a romantic," I point out and she shrugs her shoulders with a warm smile. She turns to me, pressing her back against the tree as I wrap my arms around her neck, pulling her close to me and I shiver when I felt her breath against my face. I play softly with the curl that is escaping from her messy pony tail, counting every time that my heart beats for her and I have forgotten about every thing that has brought us to this point. I forget about my mother, about General Kane and his daughter, I forget about Emily and I am only concerned about the beautiful woman in front of me.

"Only for you. Don't tell nobody though. I have a rep to keep up. If any body finds out that I am actually sweet and emotional, well then, they are just not going to be as afraid of me as they are when they see me chasing them with this knife in my hand. But you know me, and you know that I will always be this mushy little hot mess of a girl for you," She explains with a bashful smile and it stops my heart in my chest. I shake my head with a soft breath outward, how was it possible that she could steal my heart in the simplest ways?

"You know it is not so bad. It makes you so much more beautiful to me, it makes me love you so much more because I know that you are not ashamed of what we have," I say and her face hardens, her eyes flush with a passionate fire that cuts me to the core and it takes everything that I have to find that breath that I left far behind me all those years. She cups my face in her hands as she pushes her lips against mine forcefully, before she pulls away, her eyes still hot with passion.

"I never was ashamed of you. Of us. And I never will be. I love you, please tell me that you know that even though I don't always say it or show it," She demands and there is anger within her, so much so that it scares me. I can only nod my head before she wraps her arms around me, pulling me hard against her and I am so scared of what has pushed her here that I can only hug her back, softly patting her back. She sighs quietly with a sniffle before the ringing of her phone interrupts our moment and she curses as she pulls it out of her pocket and presses it to her ear.

"Mason. Yes, Director. No, she is safe, no threats have presented thyself since you gave me the news. I have been searching, I can't find anything in Costa Luna about General Kane's daughter, although I am trying. Yes, I understand. Um, yeah. I am prepared. Okay, yes, I'll make sure of it. Thank you, Director," She closes her phone as she takes in a long breath before she turns back to me, a fake smile plastered on her perfect face and I try to ignore the fact that she has tears in her eyes.

"Let me guess, you can not tell me, can you?" I ask and I know that it is killing her to keep things from me. I know that her job calls for it, I am aware that Joe never told her of her missions, including my own, he never told her of what he had to do to protect the innocent but sometimes, I wish that she would break the rules, just this once, for me. She shakes her head as she steps toward me, trying so hard to pretend as if nothing was wrong, unaware that I was reading every tear that was in her dark brown orbs.

"I'm sorry, hun. I wish that I could but it's in my contract. But I promise you, that there is nothing to worry about. As long as I am here, you have absolutely _nothing_to worry about, okay?" She explains and I simply nod my head in understanding. She sighs as she slips down in front of the tree, pulling her knees up to her chest, staring absently out at the lake. I watch her for a moment before my eyes land on the freshly carved heart with our two initials and my fingers softly trace the C.M. I wish that I could make this easier for her, that I could make her life less chaotic, that I could take her place but I also know, that even if I was not the Queen of Costa Luna, she would still be like this, because it was who she was. I sit down beside of her, allowing myself to succumb to the same position that she was in and I steal a glance at her beautiful face.

"Thank you for today, Carter," I mumble and it catches her attention as she stares at me, quite confused from my statement.

"I know that the Director probably did not agree with you taking me away from the palace, that there is more danger presenting herself here than back there but we needed this. After Emily, after...._everything _that has happened lately, it reminded me of the person that I used to be, of the person that I want to be in ten years. I do not always want to be Queen of Costa Luna, I want to be your wife. I want to fight along aside you against the world, no matter who or what presents itself. I love you. Always. Even if you can not tell me what the Director tells you, even if I wake up in the middle of the night to find you gone on some secret mission and I have to explain to your little girl why you are not here. Even if you think that Emily is a monster that will wreck our marriage and even if you find some kind of comfort in Thomas that you can not find in me, I love you all the same. Even if it seems that Costa Luna comes first or that I do not want to be with you, it's not true. Because I want to be with you forever. I am going to love you forever. No matter what that takes." I explain, the tears in my eyes and I watch as they slip from her own. She pulls me into her side as she places a wet kiss upon my forehead, tears streaming down her perfect cheeks.

"I love you too, Rosie. More than you will ever know," She exclaims and I nod my head as I slowly give into the silence. I close my eyes, listening to the soft pattern of her beating heart, of the sound of her even breaths, of the calming wind that brushes around us. She plays with my hair for a while and when she thinks I am asleep, I hear her whisper, "I'm going to make sure that everything is okay again, even if it is the last thing that I ever do." She mumbles with a break in her voice before she allows the cry to escape and my heart twists like a knife in my chest. Exactly _what_ is my wife keeping from me? Why does she not trust me enough to tell me what is breaking her heart?

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**Thoughts? Suggestions? Review please. It is you that keeps this story thriving.**


	7. Six: Breaking Like Shattered Glass

I love you guys. (: You make my life so much better, I read your feedback and it makes me believe in all that is good in the world. I am sorry that it took me longer than expected to get this chapter up, I am currently swamped with life. I should be studying for a Botany exam but I decided that I liked you guys better.

This chapter is really rough, I'm not going to lie. I had to go to a really bad place to even give this to come out right. It's sad, it's hard to read, especially if you love 'lena but at the same time, you get to know so much about Carter's character, about what is going through her head, how she is feeling about everything. More is going to come out about her later, but for now, you get this. It's a little dark, so just be careful guys. I do not encourage this behavior, that's my disclaimer. lol.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. There isn't much fluff, if there is any. Many _many _chances to hate Emily coming up. lol. I love making you guys hate her, it's so much fun. ha.

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****Carter's P.O.V**

_"May angels lead you in, hear you me my friends, on sleepless road, the sleepless go, may angels lead you in" _Jimmy Eat World

I watch her as she sleeps so peacefully beside of me, as if nothing in the world could ever possibly go wrong in her life, as if her entire country couldn't succumb to some greedy little girl and her entire life could end at a moment's notice. Maybe that I was what I loved most about Rosalinda, the fact that even though I was in a pure panic spaz attack, she was calm as she had ever been. I don't know how she does it, how she brushes it away as if there is nothing in the world wrong and she only busies herself in spending time with me. Yet, I know that if she was worrying herself over this, it would only make my job so much harder than it has to be. I couldn't stand to see her upset, over General Kane's daughter, over the fact that I was less than happy with her current relationship with Emily, over _anything_ in general and it killed me to see those tears to spill down her cheeks yesterday.

I wish that this was different for her. I wish that she didn't have to worry about taking care of a country, that she was responsible for the happiness and safety of so many people. I wish that she could be a normal woman, the way she was when she came to live with us in Louisiana, the way that she smiled at the fact she could be so wreck less without something bad happening to people. She deserved a life like that, you know? She didn't deserve to be in control, to worry and fret over this country for the rest of her life. She deserved to be normal, have a normal marriage with the four perfect children that she had dreamed of since she was seven years old. She deserved to have a husband that could give her all of that and I hated myself for it. I couldn't give her the children that she wanted, I couldn't have a steady normal job because I would be gone at all hours of the night if the program needed me and I couldn't even tell her where I was going or when I was going to be back. I can only imagine seeing our little girl, clutching tight to her teddy bear in her duckies pajamas as Rosalinda holds her tight in her arms, promising her that I would be home soon. What if I didn't? What if I didn't come home to that little girl? Would she hate me for it? Would Rosalinda? No, I shook my head with a sniffle, she deserved _so_ much more than I could ever give her.

I reach forward, brushing a stray curl from her face, allowing my fingers to linger against her skin probably longer than they should have. I couldn't picture myself ever saying goodbye to her for one of my secret missions that I could tell her nothing of. I couldn't dare to even begin to think about losing her to this stranger that I know nothing about. The thought has crossed my mind of her standing at some type of ceremony, of General Kane's daughter just appearing out of nowhere and taking her life while I stood, watching so helplessly. I feel so _wrong_, now. It is my job to protect her and I am failing miserably at doing that. I am so caught up in fighting away my own insecurities that I feel toward Emily, toward sharing Rosie with every one else in this country, that I have completely made my one true job seem like a complete failure. Sometimes, like now when I am watching her sleep, I can not help but wonder exactly what I am doing here. Am I here as a person who is protecting her from the world or am I here as someone who loves her unconditionally, forever? Where do I draw the line from being the protective wife to being the protector? When do I stop looking out for her? When do I actually start trusting the people that she talks to? I fear that the second I do, that one second that I look away, _that_'s going to be when I lose her and I will never forgive myself for that.

I love her more than anything thing in this world, there was never a doubt in my mind, never a question or a curiosity. The night that I saw her at homecoming, in that beautiful dress, that innocent gleam in her eyes, it was over from the beginning. I tried to fight it away, because Carter Mason, certainly does _not _fall in love, especially with someone like Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fiore. I kept lying to myself, I told myself that it was just an inflation because I didn't like girls. I didn't even a friend that was a _girl_, surely that was the only reason that I felt so strongly for Rosie. Then, nearly three months after not seeing her, she flew me out to Costa Luna and I saw her standing there, with a bright smile on her face and I knew. Call me crazy, stupid or naive, but I knew that there was more between us than simple friendship. It was a world wind of emotion when I kissed her for the first time, she told me that princess' don't do this, they don't just go around kissing girls but I told her that I wasn't _any _girl. I remember how scared she was when she told her mother, she saw it all ending, but surprisingly Sophia was more accepting than any one could ever imagined. My father as well, he smiled and told me that he knew from the day that I lost it when she nominated me for homecoming queen that I cared for her more than any one ever before. She cried when I asked her to marry me that night, under the open stars, she only nodded her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. I recall how confident she was when she said I do that day, how our lives have never been the same since that moment in time and I can't stop the aching feeling that I keep letting her down every single day that she is with me.

I let a soft whimper escape from my lips as I try desperately to keep the tears from spilling from my eyes. I was sick of this. I was sick of crying over this stupid girl who just wanted to finish what her father started, she didn't deserve it. I _never_ cried before Rosalinda and now it was all that I seemed to be doing lately, the only thing that I seemed to be good at. I gasp for a breath as the phone vibrates on the stand beside of me, I groan as I glance lovingly at the sleeping brunette beside of me, who wrinkles her nose before she reaches for my hand. I smile weakly as I place my hand within her own, tracing the lines on her palm as I grab the phone with my other hand, my stomach twisting when I saw the name that was flashing on the caller id.

"Carter Mason," I whisper into the receiver, continuing to trace the lines on my wife's palm, slowly etching closer to the golden band that I placed on her finger not long ago. She looked so beautiful with the wind blowing through her hair, the sun tracing every inch of her perfect skin, the sparkle in her eyes, I was never more in love with her than I was at that exact moment in that life.

"Mason, I am calling to check on our subject. I assume she is safe?" The director asks and I roll my eyes with a inward laugh. I know that it is her job to make sure that I am doing mine but sometimes it would be lovely, if just once, she could help me out a little instead of sitting at her big desk, doing absolutely nothing. It would be nice if she could actually tell me who I am supposed to be protecting my wife from, instead of having me practically jump at every one who approaches her.

"Yes, she is safe. She is sleeping right now. Do you have any information on General Kane's daughter?" I demand, my jaw locking tightly at the simple mentioning of the woman's name. I hear the director sigh on the other end of the line before the typing on a keyboard fills the silence in the reciever. I stare absently at the beautiful woman that is fast asleep beside of me, of the innocence that is washing over her perfect face and I wasn't just going to stand idly by and watch someone take her out of my life, I just couldn't.

"We still know very little but you must understand, Carter, that we are doing everything that we possibly can. We care about Rosalinda too, you know this, correct? All we know is that she is in Costa Luna at this exact moment, and we have information that makes us believe that is fairly close to Rosalinda. I suggest you keep a very good watch out for your wife, any one at this moment could be a potential target. Trust no-one, is that understood?" The director demands and I feel the tears in my eyes once again. How could this be happening to us? Normally a newlywed couple spends the first few months deciding whose stuff gets trashed and what gets to stay, they learn how to co-exist with each other and prepare a schedule on who gets what first. Our first few months have been filled with dangerous spoiled brats, jealousy, insecurity, anything _but_ the happiness we were promised.

"Of course it is understood, Director. I am not about to lose my wife to some spoiled little brat who isn't smart enough to figure out her own way to take down Costa Luna but must finish her father's original plan. I trust no-one except Rosalinda and myself. But I would appreciate it if you could give me a little more to go on next time, I can't fight this battle blind. I have to know what I am up against," I exclaim and the Director chuckles weakly at my response.

"I am doing all I can, I assure you, Carter. She is nothing like her father, she leaves a clean trail behind and all connections that she has had are cut. But trust me, as soon as we find out anything about this woman, we will let you know. We are not going to send you or Rosalinda in any danger that we are aware of. It is our job to protect not only her but you as well. We are trying, truly," She explains and a sick chuckle escapes from my lips.

"Yeah well, maybe you should try harder before you end up getting the both of us killed," I barked before I shut my phone. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I twist them in a knot, tugging only slightly. I always knew that I wanted to do something more with my life, doing this job was exactly just that but I wasn't aware of the type of stress that came with it. My father, he always hid it away with a simple smile, but then again, he was never romantically involved with the people he was meant to be protecting, as far as I was aware of. While, Rosalinda had been the one to truly save me, maybe she would also be the one who caused my demise. I knew that I would be unable to sleep so I softly slipped from the bed, placing Rosie's arm around my pillow with a warm smile. She groaned, opening her eyes just slightly and I laughed weakly.

"Carter?" She mumbles clearly still half asleep.

"It's okay. I'm fine, I'm just going to grab something to drink. Go back to sleep. Everything is fine," I promised, covering her up with the silk sheet. She mumbles a soft okay before she is once again gone into a deep slumber and I smile weakly. Shuffling my feet, I slip across the floor, watching as my wife slumbers so peacefully. That was the first time that I ever truly lied to her and I hated myself for it. Things _wasn't_ okay, everything _wasn't_ fine and it may never possibly be that way ever again. Yet, I wouldn't allow her to worry over this, she deserved more than that, so very much more.

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My father used to tell me when I was sleepy to drink some warm milk and I could fall asleep faster, but clearly he was way off the target. I am half way through my third glass of milk when I realized that it was doing absolutely nothing for me except making me feel very jealous of the lactose intolerant. I don't even know why I bothered to try to sleep, there was far to much on my mind to even get one second of peace. My mind kept racing back to the idea that she was in Costa Luna now, that she was closer to Rosalinda than I would have liked and there was nothing that I could do about it. It was my job to protect her, to keep her safe and I allowed this woman to just come into her country and possibly take it and her life away from her. How could I let her down in such a way? How could I fail? I was so caught up in the happiness that I let down my guard for one second and I _allowed_ this to happen, if she loses this country, it's going to be all my fault.

I rest my head in my hands as I stare at the wooden table, hoping for only a second I could stop thinking about the impending doom that was constantly on my mind. Instead I go back to thinking about our future together, about our children and our lives that seem to stretch on forever, how blissfully unaware I was when I chose to marry her that things may not work out that way. She wanted four kids, which at first I thought was absolutely crazy but now I want nothing more than those four children with her as well. She wants two little girls and two little boys, all of which she would not force to live as royally as she had. I wanted to give her that. I wanted to give her that safety, that family that she dreamed so perfectly of, the children that she already had named and planned their entire lives for them. Chances are, though, I could never be that person for her. I can't be the one that is there all the time when she is pregnant, especially if the Director assigns me someone else to protect, I can't be the one that is always there when our son or daughter needs me, I can't be the one who is there to assure her that everything is going to be okay when one of them seriously injures themselves. While, on the other hand, Emily _could_. She has no obligations to protect any one but herself and she has made it quite clear that she wants to be with my wife, it was only a matter of time until she convinced her of what I already knew. It was only a matter of time before I watched this complete stranger take away the only love that I ever knew and there was nothing I could do about it, because she was right.

I groan, pushing myself up from the seat as I open the fridge, grabbing one of the green bottles with a sigh. I promised Rosalinda that I wouldn't drink any more, but it was obvious that those promises that I made to her so long ago meant nothing anymore. I promised to keep her safe, to keep her happy and she was none of those things at the moment. I take a swig of the liquid, cringing as it burns down my throat but I am suddenly aware of how the throbbing pain in my throat has replaced the aching pain that has currently moved into my heart. I take another long swig, closing my eyes as I allow the burning pain to take me away, even if only for a moment. The shuffling of footsteps catches me off guard, quickly I glance up to find Emily in her robe, a smug grin on her face and my stomach twists in knots. I shake my head as I take another long drink of the alcohol, finding relief in the bottom of a bottle, something that I swore I would never do after watching how it effected Ed's parents.

"You know it is not very appropriate for the wife of the Queen to be up at this time of night...alone," Emily points out as she takes a bottle of water from the same white fridge. I chuckle as I brace myself against the counter, watching her every movement carefully. She seemed flawless, her blond hair up in a messy pony tail, her blue eyes sparkling with something that I could not quite pin point, her dimples breath taking. She was everything that I could never be, everything that I knew Rosie would realize that she deserved. She was more fit for this royal life than I was, she knew everything about Costa Luna, about my wife, about how to react and act to certain things, she was prepared for this life, unlike I was.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't sleep so sue me. What about you? Shouldn't you be in bed as well? I mean, you are the assitant to the Queen, it's your job to be well rested and help her make the best decisions involving this country. I don't think that being awake at two in the morning is being well rested, do you?" I whip back as I take another drink of the alcohol. She chuckles at something that I will never know as she takes a stand next to me, her blue eyes colliding hard with mine and it is as if she is cutting me into, degrading me with every blink of her long eyelashes.

"I do not have to explain myself to you, Carter. I am not the one that is married to the Queen. I am allowed to be awake and up any time that I wish because it does not effect her. No one will think anything of my absence from my bed but yours, however, they will think every much of. Especially when they find out that you were downstairs with your wife's assistant instead of in bed with her," Emily points out with a cool laugh and I roll my eyes bitterly.

"God, you actually would, wouldn't you? Are you that desperate to be with my wife? She'll never love you the way that she does me, she'll never be happy with you, don't you get that? You are a friend to her, and that is where she draws the line with you. I know Rosie, I know that she will never be attracted or be happy with someone like you. You might as well give up the dream because I am not going anywhere," I demand, my jaw locking tightly and the anger surges through my small body. She plays with the neck of her water bottle, before her eyes meet with mine again and it nearly causes me to snap into. Why does she have to be so much more than me?

"We'll see about that, won't we?" She laughs and I swear, I could have punched her in the face if it hadn't been for Rosie's reaction. I glare at her before I take another long swig of the alcohol, wishing that it was enough to take me away from this moment, away from her, away from knowing that everything that she was saying was right, "I thought you promised Rosalinda that you would not drink." She points at the bottle that is once again pressed against my lips. I close my eyes as a soft curse escapes from my lips, who did she think she was? What made her so great that she got to stand next to me and tell me about how horrible of a person that I was?

"Sometimes promises are broken. You know I'm sorry that I can't stand around and do this wity little banter with you about how I am a horrible person and how Rosalinda deserves to be with someone like you because you can give her so much more than I can, but I really do not have time for this right now," I exclaim as I take another bottle from the fridge, prepared to make my dramatic exit but her chilling voice stops me yet again.

"Pity, isn't it?" She chuckles in a cool voice and as much as I wanted to keep on walking, I stopped, as if it was an order. I clutched tightly to the bottle in my hand, turning to face her and I hated the smile that was curled on her pink lips, how smug she was at the fact that I was hurting.

"What are you talking about?" I ask and she laughs once again with a simple shrug of her shoulders.

"I just think that it is a pity that you can not do the only job that you are asked to do. You say that you want to do something greater in your life and that is why you chose to be in the protection program like your father. So they assign you to Rosalinda since you guys are romantically involved and they fear that since Costa Luna was attacked once that it may be attacked again. And you can not even protect her from General Kane's daughter, can you? Not only are you her assigned protector, Carter, but you are _her_ wife. You are supposed to protect her from everything that she is ever scared of, you are supposed to make it all okay for her, to make her happy and you can not even do that, can you? Truly you should be ashamed of yourself to even dare call yourself her wife. You are a failure, that's all you are, Rosalinda will realize that soon enough," Emily exclaims and I feel everything inside of me crashing, every wall that I ever built suddenly came tumbling down, I never felt more dead than I did in that exact moment. I chuckle with tears in my eyes as I storm over to her, my hand stopping only inches from her face as my eyes meet hers..._hard_.

"You don't get to do that. You don't get to just march in here and tell me about how I am a horrible person who can do nothing right in her life and how Rosalinda deserves more than me when you know _nothing_about the situation and you certainly know _nothing _about me. You don't know that I am doing everything that I can, that I am trying so unbelievably hard to make sure that she is safe and happy! You don't know how much I love her, how I am in love with her but how I also know that she deserves to be with someone more than me, she deserves someone who can give her everything that she wants and I am not saying that it is you, but I am simply saying that it is not me! You don't get to tell me how I am a failure, how I am such an awful person and how I deserve every bad thing in the world! You know nothing except for the fact that you are the monster that you are trying to make me out to be and you are jealous because I am married to her and you are not!" I yelled back, anger fuming through my entire body and I wanted nothing more than to hit her, to make her bleed, to make her feel the pain that I felt every time that I looked in my wife's worried eyes.

"You are right, Carter. I do know nothing about you and I may not know much about the situation but I do know that if Rosalinda was my wife, I would protect her. I would do everything that I possibly could to make sure that she was safe, to make sure that she is happy because that is the type of person that she deserves to be with. And it is quite clear now that you are certainly **not** that person," She spits back and I can't even breath anymore. Instead I only make this gasping sound as the tears break, even though I try so hard to keep them at bay, and spill effortlessly down my cheeks. My bottom lip quivers but I refuse the sobs to escape from my body, I refuse to let her see me break down in such a way.

"You know what? You're right. I am **not** that person. But neither are you. You stay the hell away from my wife!" I cry and she smugs a grin.

"Oh yeah? Are you going to make me? Because you know, if you hit me, she is going to view all of this as your fault. I will simply tell her that you were drinking, that you lost your temper and you hit me because you thought that I was going to make a move on your woman. I will tell her that I fought back for self defense but there wasn't much I could do seeing as how you had me pinned down and you caught me from behind. Then she is going to be angry with you for even daring to touch her assistant/friend, and she will ask you for a divorce because this is certainly not the behavior that a Queen should involve herself with. But go ahead, please, hit me," She pleads and I scoff, with a simple shake of my head.

"Go to hell, Emily," I groan before I push her only slightly. She chuckles with a laugh as she takes another swig of her water and I watch her carefully for a moment. How could she be so evil and Rosalinda not notice it? How could she even begin to think that she was nice? What was I not seeing? Before I am even aware of it, I am sprinting up the winding stairwell, searching for some type of peace that I know I would never find.

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I stare at myself blankly in the mirror in the bathroom, searching for the answers that I had been so desperately wanting but the Director could not provide me with. The answers to the questions that Emily had been asking me since she first realized that Rosalinda and I were married, answers to the questions that I have been asking myself since I married that beautiful girl in Aruba all those days ago. Yet, I knew that those answers would nto be found in the depths of my dark brown eyes, instead only more questions would be made, but I had to find something. Anything. Any small amount of information, one small pigment of hope that let me believe that somehow everything was going to be okay. But there was nothing there, only anger and fear, only disappointment and darkness. Only a broken image of the person that I used to be.

How could this become my life? I thought that I had it all figured out, you know? Rosie and I were going to be married two years before we started a family, that seemed like a perfect amount of time for me to become accustomed to the life of being the equal to the thrown of Costa Luna. I imagined her carrying our first child, I was there, holding her hand through all nine months, drying every tear that she cried, hugging her and promising her that no matter what everything was going to be okay. I could see her holding our little girl in her arms as she cried, whispering how she looked like me and how she has never been happier in her entire life. I saw it all coming together, within the following two years we would have had our little boy, then two years later our little girl, two years after that our last son. I saw myself teaching the boys how to play baseball in the front lawn of the palace, one of them breaking the window and having to explain to Rosalinda exactly what happened. I could see her dressing our daughters up in those dresses, spinning them around and doing all of that girly things with them. We would have been perfect, but it was quite clear that the odds were stacked against us from the beginning. Maybe we were never meant to be.

This was never meant to happen. Things got out of control so quickly and there was nothing I could do but stand there and watch so helplessly. I never thought that a girl like Emily could be the one that would threaten my marriage, I never saw myself losing Rosalinda to a girl like her, but now it is all that I can see. I can see her being with her, actually being happy, I can see Emily giving her those children that she so desperatly wants and being a much better mother to them that I could be. I can hear Rosie telling me about how she wasn't in love with me anymore, how she hates that things must end this way but she has to do what makes her happy or else life really isn't worth living anymore. I can imagine Costa Luna standing on their feet when Rosalinda presents her as the new equal to the thrown, they accept her with a smile, much more than they did me. I see it all crumbling around me, the life that I so desperatly dreamed of since the night of homecoming, the greatest love that I ever knew fading with the sadest of songs and there is nothing that I can do to even try to stop it. Instead I only stand, watching, screaming with my mouth shut for the only woman that meant anything to me.

When did I become this person? When did I stop fighting for what I want? How could let this happen to her? To us? General Kane's daughter is in Costa Luna, she is close to Rosalinda and I am not even doing anything about it. I should be out there, questioning every one who comes within spitting distance of the palace about who they are, where they came from, who their parents are and demand to see some type of identification. Instead I am standing here like some type of spineless animal, doing nothing to protect the woman that I love. How could I let Emily enter my life like this? For so long I kept myself and Rosalinda guarded, the only people that I let close to us was Ed, my father and Sophia, for so long that was all that we ever needed. Now, Emily just waltzed into our lives as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do and I didn't even try to stop her. I didn't tell Rosalinda how I didn't like, how I didn't trust her, I just let her go off with her to to God knows what. Emily was right, I was a failure and Rosalinda deserved so much more than me.

My father would be so ashamed of the person that I have become, of how weak I am, of the way that I just let people walk in and walk all over me without a single word. He taught me how to be strong, how to fight for what was right, for what I wanted and to not stop, even if it hurt people. I did none of that now, instead I just watched as my entire world was ripped away from me without a single word. How could I let him down like this? How could I let Rosalinda down after everything that we have been through? How could I make it this easy for someone to take everything that I ever wanted away from me? I stare at myself in the mirror, my hair messily shading my face, the dark circles clearly visible under my eyes, I was hideous. How could she ever love someone like me? Didn't she know that she could do so much better? I take a swig from the alcohol that sat to the left of me as I stare that the reflection of a girl I barely knew and a sick chuckle escapes from my lips.

"Look at you. You're pathetic. You're only asked to do one thing, you are only asked to keep her safe, to keep her happy and you can't even do that, can you? You are going to let his daughter just come right in and take her away from you and if not her then Emily. But it's what you deserve. How could you do this? How could you ever put her in danger? You love her, you are supposed to keep her safe. She's not safe and she isn't happy anymore. Emily is right, she deserves someone better than you and one of these days she is going to wake up and realize what a horrible, ugly person you are. She is going to realize that Emily can give her so much more than you can and you are going to lose her. You deserve it. You are a failure, you deserve every bad thing that ever happens to you in your life. You should have died that day instead of your father, you know that, don't you? You know that you are only hurting her now, you are not keeping her safe and you are not keeping her happy. She is miserable now and it's all your fault. I hate you. Do you hear me? I HATE YOU!" I yell at the brunette who only stares back at me, her dark brown eyes pleading for what I didn't have. Before I can even catch myself, the fist that has been formed so tight at my waist that I have cut all circulation off from my hand, collides hard with the mirror. The glass shatters from the impact, I felt it scrapping hard against my skin as the blood quickly pours from the wound.

"Damn it!" I curse, shaking my hand as I pull it away from the broken mirror that is now streaked red from my blood. I look at my hand that is covered in glass, deep wounds now gushing with the red sticky substance so that it is making a pool on the counter beneath me. I slowly pick the glass from the wound, cursing every time that I accidentally push it farther in my skin that what it was. I allow a shaky breath to escape from me as I glance up at the red streaked broken mirror, a shattered reflection staring back at me. I didn't even know the girl that was staring back at me. I shake my head with a sniffle when a face in the corner of the broken mirror catches my gaze. Staring, with tears in her own eyes is my wife, who only looks at the mess that I have made with shock and surprise in her eyes. I close my eyes with a soft curse as my heart twists at the disappointment I saw in her eyes. I turn to her, clutching tight to my hand as the tears quickly appear in my cheeks, they fall so quickly and the sobs escape from my lips so fast that I can barely even catch a breath.

"Oh, Carter. It's okay. It's okay," She sighs. I shake my head with a sob as I collapse into her arms, holding her tight against my body as the cries erupt from my body so hard that my throat achs in pain.

"I'm sorry. I'm _so _sorry," I cry and she sighs as she softly rubs circles into my back.

"It is okay. Everything is going to be okay. I love you. Shh. It is okay," She promises, her voice cracking and I do not even have to look at her to know that the silent tears are falling down her cheeks as well. I wrap myself in her arms as I hold tight to my bleeding hand, listening to her warm voice as she continues to promise me that everything is going to be okay. What type of monster have I became? I contemplate the answer as the darkness quickly clouds over my eyes and in the moment I am only aware of her arms around me.

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I am sitting on the sofa downstairs, the television blaring one of those news channels but I am not paying attention to the lady who is telling me about some troubled land to the north. Instead I am staring at my hand that is wrapped up in the white cloth, remembering how it felt to break that mirror last night, how I finally felt peace in an aching body as the throbbing pain brought those bittersweet tears to my eyes. The sun is dancing in circles across our hardwood floor, my eyes catch a ray of sunlight and I close them in pain as my head throbs in rhythm of my heart. How was it even possible that I became this messed up person? Was it the knowledge of General Kane's daughter? Was it Emily? Was it the truth? Was the secrets? What was it that ate away at me until I became this self destructive person?

I softly undid the bandage, unwrapping it carefully to not make the wound any more severe than it had to be. I wince in pain as I remove the final layer of the white bandage that was now stained red until I could view the cuts upon my knuckles. The sun caught a gleam of light and I softly removed one piece of shattered glance that still lay embedded within my skin, I cringe as I pull it free. Dripping with blood, the broken glass seemed to taunt me, as if I had not done a good job the first time around. I throw it across the room with tears in my eyes as I stare at my hand, it was still bleeding but only slightly, it was swollen and aching with each beat of my heart. Funny though, at how much pain I was in at the moment, I finally felt..._okay_.

Rosie catches my eyes, much like last night as she takes a seat on the sofa beside of me, placing her hand on my knee. She looks at my hand with a cringe, her lips forming a soft frown but she gets rid of it quickly, hoping that I did not see it. She softly takes the injured hand within her own as she takes another small piece of the shattered glass from my skin and I allow a soft moan to escape from my lips. I notice the tears that appear in her eyes but she says nothing as she lays the glass upon the table, instead her dark brown eyes collide hard with mine and they practically kill me inside.

"Is your hand bothering you?" She asks the question but I do not answer her, instead I only keep my eyes fixed upon hers, staring intently at the girl who braved the darkness and saved me once before, I do not want her to feel responsible to save me again. She reaches forward, her hand cupping my cheek as she brushes my stray curl away from my face and I shiver at her touch, "do you want to talk about last night?"

"I'm sorry about the mirror. I'll buy a new one. You know I never really did like that one much anyway, I didn't think it suits your personality. Maybe we could buy one of those ones that has the fancy border around it? Hmm?" I offer and she shakes her head with a weak smile, it fades far to quickly for my liking and I am suddenly aware of how serious this is. I couldn't tell her about what pushed me to that point, I couldn't tell her how much of a failure I felt like, about Emily, about the secrets that I kept hidden away from her, I wouldn't worry her like that.

"I do not care about the mirror, Carter. I care about you. I want to know what made you think that by hitting the mirror like that, by hurting yourself that you could make things better. I have never known you to be self destructive and I want to know what made you do that because maybe I can help you with it. I do not want to see you hurt any more," She pleads with me and I hate myself for even putting her in this position. I shake my head with a snort as I stare at the blood stained wounds on my hands, swallowing the pain with a fake smile.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. I just had a little to much to drink. I now see why you told me that I shouldn't drink. I'm going to buy you a new mirror, I promise. J-just, don't worry about me, okay? I can take care of myself," I reply and she shakes her head, her brow wrinkled and her eyes are flooding with an emotion that I can't even begin to describe.

"Yes because last night was a perfect example of how well you can take care of yourself," Rosie replies and it cuts me to the core, it steals my breath and stops my heart. The tears quickly appear in my eyes as my lips move but no words escape from me because I know none that could ever make this situation better, none that could take away the pain that I knew she was feeling inside. I stare down at my hand before I glance back up at her, suddenly feeling very open, very raw from the emotion that I have been harboring away for her.

"I'm alone," I whisper and she shakes her head.

"No, you are not. I am here. Talk to me," She demands and I shake my head with a weak laugh.

"I failed you, Emily made sure that I knew that last night. You won't be here for long, because you are going to go away with her and you should because she can give you more than I can. I'm going to lose you, Rosie. You don't know it yet, but I am. You are going to realize that you deserve more than me, more than this life and you are you going to leave me. Or General Kane's daughter is going to take you away from me. Either way, I have failed you," I cry and she stares at me with complete surprise in her eyes, her mouth moves but no words escape from me and I am not surprised. Instead Emily comes tumbling down the stairs, her eyes colliding hard with mine and a smirk appears on her face.

"Good morning. Rosalinda you look radiant this morning. Carter, you do as well," Emily coos and I shake my head with a snort as I turn to my wife, who's tear filled eyes made me feel like such a horrible monster. I don't say anything instead I only smile at her with a simple shrug of my shoulder as I shake my head with a sniffle.

"You'll see, soon enough that I am right. You'll see," I mumble before I stand, quickly exiting the living area. I push myself through the people that fill the hallways until I find my way to the kitchen, grabbing another green bottle from the fridge. I take a long swig of it, the burning pain suddenly taking away the pain that was felt in my hand and I am grateful. I glance up to find Thomas standing in the doorway, a warm smile playing at his lips as his brown eyes are filled with the same type of worry that I saw in Rosalinda's only a few moments before.

"Rosalinda told me to ask you if you needed something for the pain. But it's quite clear that you found your own source to stop the pain," He chuckles with a laugh and I only smile with a nod before I take another long swig of the alcohol. He doesn't say anything for a while, instead he only watches me, with his arms crossed over his chest, his brow wrinkled. I wish I knew what was going on inside of his head, I wish that I could understand the look that was hidden in his dark brown orbs, that I could understand exactly what he was thinking of me at this moment. I stare absently at my hand, smirking at the fact that it was going to scar now, well at least I would have a good story to tell, I chuckle. My eyes catch the golden band with a sudden feeling of sadness and it takes everything that I have to keep the tears from falling down my cheeks. Thomas sighs, catching my attention as he walks toward me, his face now solemn and stern and I know that this can not be good.

"I know that you are scared, okay? I know that you will never tell Rosalinda exactly how scared you are because you think that you are supposed to be brave and you are supposed to protect her, so that is why you pushed her away in there. You hit the mirror last night because you think that you failed her in some way, that you are going to lose her to Emily and it is going to be all your fault. You are disgusted with yourself. I know this, Carter, because I've been there, okay? I've been exactly where you are right now, but I got to tell you, pushing her away like this, it is only going to make everything hurt a hell of a lot worse. Just stop it. Stop running from your feelings and face them. It is okay to be scared. Rosalinda is not going to do anything with Emily, nothing to hurt you and she isn't going to hate you for being scared. You just have to trust her, and your love for her," He explains, his brown eyes flooding with love and compassion. I stare down at my hand for a long moment before my eyes meet his once again and I feel like I did the day that Dad told me what happened to Mom, like nobody would ever be able to reach in and save me from this pain.

"I trust no-one," I mumble with a cry, sitting down my drink as I try to run out of the kitchen but instead I feel his hand around my wrist. He pulls me hard into his body, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I struggle to get free, I push hard against him, hitting him in the chest with my uninjured hand before I finally give into his embrace. I bury my head within his chest as I allow the sobs to escape from my body, until my throat becomes raw. I cry so freely, as the aching pain slowly begins to leave my body, until the darkness clouds my vision and I feel all the color drain from my face. I cry out of fear, out of anger, out of love and out of hate. I cry because I am lost and this time, nobody can save me. I cry because I am suddenly in over my head and my father is not here to promise me that everything is okay. I cry to Thomas, because, at the moment, it was the only thing that seemed right to do.

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**Reviews are loved more than Selena's eyes and Demi's smile. (: Seriously, leave me one if you want more. **


	8. Seven: No Shelter From This Storm

Okay, so I know that it has been a while since I have actually gotten to post a new story but in my defense, I've had some technical difficulties with my computer, all my files somehow ended up deleted, my Word like went away but I got the repair guy to come out and fix everything. So I'm back and ready to hopefully continue to wow you guys.

I love your feedback, I love you guys for hating Emily. I would love to point out Simone Louise Leggett's review because it touched me. The fact that Carter makes the statement that she is alone last chapter, isn't just physical. But it's more emotional than anything because she feels as if Rosie has completely consumed herself with Costa Luna and is kind of ignoring her. But fear not, we get some Rosie/Carter love in this chapter and this chapter is also the turning point for a lot of crap in this chapter, the Emily aspect, Thomas and a whole lot of other stuff. (: You'll love me, then you'll hate me. But, the good chapters always make you love and hate.

I dedicate this one to Amanda because, I made a promise to her that I would try to update soon and honestly, if I had not made that promise, I probably would have waited a little while longer to get this one up. (:

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_"I used to be love drunk but now I'm hung over, I love you forever but now forever is over" _Boys Like Girls

I don't know what I was expecting by smashing the mirror with my fist, if I was expecting the emotional pain to cease or wanting the physical pain to overcome everything else that is currently on my mind, all I know is that the throbbing pain that is currently taking over my knuckles is very noticeable now. The pain reliever that Rosalinda gave to me a few hours ago has confidently wore off, yet, I refuse to take another one. What's that wise saying? No pain, no gain? Hell, I don't know but what I do know is that every time a sharp breath taking pain aches over my body, I stop thinking about the impending doom that is threatening my life and her country and focus on my hand. Maybe it was selfish of me to cause myself my own pain to stop worrying about Rosie's but all I know is that this is the first real time that my mind has truly been at peace since the Director told me about General Kane's daughter.

It is amazing, isn't it? How you can love one person so deeply, so passionately that you are willing to give your life up for them and yet you still fail them? The stories that I have heard, the books that I have read, the television shows I have watched, they all told me one simple thing: love conquers all. It can overcome sickness like in A Walk To Remember, it can overcome the supernatural like in the Twilight saga, it can overcome family disagreements like in the infamous Romeo and Juliet. Our love was just as special as the fictional characters', it was just as true and just as passionate, so why could our love not work out that way? Why couldn't my love for Rosie defeat the threat of General Kane's daughter, why couldn't my love for her completely block out the entire crap that Emily keeps feeding me? These love stories, they don't always get their happily ever afters. I mean, Jamie dies at the end of A Walk To Remember and both Romeo _and_ Juliet die at the end of their play but their love was infinite. It was forever. It was a love that was worth remembering long after their tragedy occurred, would our love end that way? Would we be remembered as the tragic lovers who just couldn't make it work?

We were so much more than we were allowing ourselves to succumb to, you know? I used to be more than this girl who is haunted by the fact that she can not protect her wife from some bitter little girl, I used to be more than someone who lays awake in her warm bed at night curious as to where I was meant to go from here. I wasn't always the girl who worked for the Protection Program, in fact I was very happy working at the Bait Shop, spending time with Rosie every chance that I got but sometimes things change and because of that _I_ changed. I watched some heartless man take my father away from me and I watched the distance slowly begin to effect the best relationship that I have ever had. Joining the Protection Program was the first real thing that I did that actually felt like I was moving forward to my future, then I asked Rosie to become my wife, to wed me and live the rest of her life with me. Loving her, being with her, it was the only right thing that I have ever done. Now, after all the anger and bitterness that is held in my heart, I am going to lose her because I am unable to protect her.

I grip the orange basketball tight within my palms, staring at the basket in front of me. Ironic, that after everything that I have been through recently, I still find myself standing on this court, hoping to ease my anger and frustration. My father taught me how to play basketball when I was seven years old, he told me that it was his favorite sport and that I could be really great at this game because of my speed and size. I thought that he was crazy, because I absolutely _sucked_ at this game but I'm standing here, holding this ball because it is the only thing that I know to do. The only thing that can take my frustration away, the only thing that can actually make me stop thinking for one second and just _be_. Bending my knees, I release the ball from my hands, watching as it bounces off the backboard colliding hard with the black pavement beneath my feet. I growl with a soft curse, brushing my hair back from my face to find Thomas standing with a half smile on his face as he laughs at my frustrating efforts to forget about Rosie, about my hand, about how everything is going to hell in a hand basket and I am just watching helplessly.

"I do not know much about this sport, Carter, but I think the objective is to get the ball in the net," Thomas points out and I roll my eyes with a snarl at him, to this his response was only to laugh. I don't know why it is so easy with Thomas, but with him, I almost feel as if I was home in Louisiana , having him be my friend was almost like having Ed back in my life.

"Hardy, har, har. I'm just a little rusty on my basketball playing skills, okay? Besides my wife is currently being hunted like she is a piece of meat, Emily is doing a hell of a good job trying to break up my marriage and my hand feels like it went through glass. Oh wait, that's because it _did. _So excuse me for being no Lisa Leslie," I snap at him, throwing the ball toward him and he catches it against his chest with a laugh. Sometimes I wonder why he chose to live this life, why he did not try to better himself instead of settling for the life of being a servant, yet I also knew there would be secrets that I would never know of.

"Actually I think she retired or something. So, that is a bad analogy anyway. And there is no need to get snappy with me because you are frustrated with everything that is going on in your life. I think that you should trust Rosalinda instead of letting Emily's snide comments get the better of you," Thomas explains, releasing the ball as it rolls in the net with a soft, successful swish. I roll my eyes slightly as I grab the ball, bouncing it on the pavement in front of me as I take in the beautiful scenery of Costa Luna, the country that my wife owned, the country that I was responsible for protecting.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm just frustrated," I explain, squinting my eyes as I once again release the ball, but like the so many times before, it simply bounces off the rim. I groan in frustration, twisting my fingers in my hair as I turn to Thomas whom suddenly seemed so at ease with himself, so relaxed with everything that was going on, even though he knew that his life was in just as much danger as Rosie's was.

"I know you are frustrated, I assumed that you did not just put your hand through glass for the thrill of it. What I am not understanding though, is why? Why are you letting Emily get to you? Do you not know that this is what she is wanting? She wants you to feel weak, to feel less important because that is when she is going to try to take Queen Rosalinda away from you. You can not let her do this to you," Thomas explains and my heart twists, knowing that he is right but my mind refuses to agree with him. How can he be right when all I can feel is how horrible of a job I am doing protecting my wife and her country? I am the failure that Emily sees me as, why couldn't he see this as well?

"I'm not _letting _her do anything to me, Thomas. She's right. It's my job, not only as her assigned protector from the program but as her wife to stop something like this from happening to her. I am supposed to go to all lengths to make sure that she is safe, that she is happy and now, I have some spoiled brat, running free through the streets of Costa Luna, threatening her life and there is nothing that I can do about it. Emily is right, I've failed Rosie. And maybe she's also right about how we aren't meant to be together," I explain and the happiness, the pride that once held so tightly in his face is suddenly replaced with anger, with frustration, hurt and sadness. Thomas had always been so well at hiding his emotions, yet now, they were talking more than he actually was. He debates his response as he stares at the ball in his hands before a weak chuckle escapes from him.

"I was in love once, you know? You can laugh at me all you want but I was and I knew that I was going to spend the rest of my life with that girl. Granted, I was only sixteen years old at the time but when you know, you just know. I loved her with my whole heart and I could not imagine being with any one else…ever. She was perfect, beautiful, smart, funny, she had everything going for her. She was everything that I could ever ask for and I was truly blessed to have known such a great individual as she," Thomas explains, sadness looming in his every word. I watch him, the tears in his eyes, the broken heart clearly displayed for every one to see, this was not the man that I had known, this man was clearly in just as much pain as I was.

"Wh-what happened, Thomas?" I stuttered, fearing the answer. His dark eyes quickly collide with mine and suddenly I forget about Rosalinda for a moment, I forget about the impending doom that is raining over Costa Luna, I forget about my throbbing hand but I'm only aware of this broken man in front of me. The man that reminded me so much of Ed, so much of my father, the only person who truly understood exactly how haunted I was and I hate that the tears are present in his eyes now, that he is hurting in such a way.

"It is actually quite funny, really. You see, I loved her with my _whole_ heart and she…well…she loved you," He stops short with a hard laugh, shaking his head as he tries to hide the tears that were currently hiding his eyes, "I was in love with Rosalinda, I was amazed by her, by her beauty and her grace. I always have been ever since we were kids and she dared me to kiss her in the backyard. I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life, I could not ask for anyone better than she. One night, we shared a dance at a local event, she fit so perfectly in my arms, smelled so sweet, touched so tenderly. As we were gathering in front of the palace, I swept her hair back and kissed her. She uh..she pushed me away. Told me there was someone else who held her heart. That someone was you, Carter. It's always been you." He explains so weakly and I curse myself for not knowing this. How could I not know that he cared for her? How could I not see it in his eyes when she explained to me that he was her best friend and her butler? Of course he loved her, it was obvious now and I hate myself for missing all of the signs.

"Thomas," I breathe out, stopping short of saying the words that would only hurt him now instead of help him. Instead I take a step toward him, allowing my eyes to briefly meet his and my heart twists in my chest at the thought of him hurting so badly because of me.

"I do not want your sympathy or your pity, Carter. That is not why I told you this story. I told you because you do not believe in your love anymore, you do not believe in how your heart feels for Rosalinda and how she feels for you. Emily speaks words of anger, of jealousy and they are not true. I know the two of you, I see the way that she looks at you and I know with a fact that she will never look at Emily like that. Nor me. She loves you and I know that you love her. Do not ever think otherwise or Emily will defeat you. The both of you deserve far much more than Emily being your demise. Do not let it come to this," He explains so sweetly, so obvious as if it was the answer I've been looking for all along. He glances at me with his side smile, the kind of smile that tells me that there is more on his mind than he will ever share with me, the kind of smile that makes me feel like a little girl again.

"If you loved her so much, you should have fought for her. I'm sure that she would rather be with you right now than some hot mess of a girl like me who can't even do her damn job right," I bark as he bounces the ball toward me, I take it in my grip, squinting at the harsh sunlight.

"I would not be so sure of that if I were you. You are the one that she would fight off the entire world to be with, you are the one that she chose to possibly lose her country for, you are the one that she is in love with. It does not matter exactly what is going on in your lives because in the end you are the only thing that matters to her. Do you not believe in that anymore?" He asks and I shake my head with a playful smile, releasing the ball as it rolls off the rim. He chuckles, chasing after it, grabbing it tightly between his two large palms and I can't help but smirk a grin.

"I love her," I state and he laughs with a playful smile.

"I know you do. It is just nice to hear you admit it to yourself every once and a while," He smiles and I roll my eyes with a dry laugh. I had never denied my feelings for Rosie, even when I knew that it would cause us trouble with society, with her country and her mother. Yet lately, I am suddenly aware, that I've been pushing the truth away to protect a girl who has never had a problem protecting herself, "let me teach you a lesson in blocking, Mrs. Mason." He taunts, tossing the ball at me, I catch it as a whoosh of air escapes from my lips and I shoot him a glare.

"You think you are better than me, huh? Well, pal, let me teach you how it goes down in the Mason household," I joke with a bright smile, the ball bouncing rhythmically in my right hand, staring him down, hoping to see him break but he only stares right back. I bounce the ball between my legs, pushing myself forward, trying to pass him when his shoulder collides hard with mine. I stumble backward from the force, quickly losing my balance as I suddenly find myself staring up at the open blue sky. Staring up at the clouds in the sky, I realize how truly beautiful the world is with her in it, how even now when my entire world is falling apart, I can only think of her gorgeous smile, I can only count the colors in her eyes. I lay in the complete silence, listening to my heart beat, knowing that it is only beating _for _her, because my heart is hers. I noticed Thomas hovering over me but all that I can truly see is her, my life with her and suddenly I am realize that I've been running from her, not because I was angry but because I was afraid.

"Carter? Carter? Are you okay? Oh, God. I am so sorry," Thomas apologizes, rushing toward me but I simply shake my head with a laugh as I place my hand in his large palm, pulling me upward. I felt the breeze blow through my brunette hair as I tease with a laugh, pushing his chest slightly. He wrinkles his brow before he starts laughing as well, wrapping his arms around me as I give into his hug much easier now than I did earlier. It is only then that I catch her gaze as she stands beside of the court, her arms resting at her side, an emotion in her eyes that even I can't point out now. I slowly push myself out of his arms as I slowly walk toward her, counting every breath that she draws.

"Rosie, I am sorry about earlier. It's just.." Yet she interrupts me. Rosie _never_ interrupts any one, for she says that it is bad manners and she gets frustrated when I do it. I instantly shut up, my eyes are glued perfectly on hers as I try to understand exactly what is going through her mind at this moment.

"It does not matter. I understand. I would like to give a speech to Costa Luna, to explain to them about the dangers that they are currently being faced with, and I would like for you to be there," She explains and I wrinkle my brow as I stare at her, my mouth slightly open, in complete amazement of my wife at this moment in time.

"I don't..um..I don't really think that it is the best idea to tell them of her. I mean, what if she is in the crowd and decides to attack you? Then what? We don't even know what she looks like Rosie, how are we going to explain to all those people that their in danger because of her? I understand that you feel obligated, really, I do. But I don't want to worry them over something that I can handle," I explain to her and she shakes her head with a soft laugh before she looks past me, her arms folding over her chest.

"I am telling them because as their Queen it is my duty. And you can either stand beside of me as my wife or you will not stand beside of me at all. I am not doing this for me, I am doing this for them. They deserve to know of this, just as I do. Remember your place, Carter. It is not about what is best for us any more," She states before she turns away, heading back to the palace. I groan, twisting my fingers in my hair, staring up at the blue sky, wishing to know the right answer, wishing that the pain that now plagued our every breath would simply just disappear and let us be happy for once in our lives.

_

* * *

_

It is quiet in upstairs in the palace now, no sounds are being made, even though Mr. Elegante is preparing Rosie with a new gown for the speech she is giving. I sit, waiting patiently in the chair, my hair hanging in messy curls at my shoulders as I chew on the inside of my jaw. There was passion in her eyes, a type of emotion that I have never seen present in her dark brown orbs, something was haunting her and I was sure that I was the core reason for that. I should have known that she was bothered about General Kane's daughter, I should have taken more time to listen to her, to hold her hand, to dry her tears instead of busying myself with Emily's negative comments. She is my wife, that should have mattered more than anything, she should have came first above everything else that was happening in my life. How was it possible that I stood by and simply watched as she fell between the cracks?

I glance down at my hand that is now throbbing with a dull pain, at the scars that I know it would eventually make. I swore to myself that I would never fall back into that dark place that I was in when my father died, that place where no words could be said that would heal the pain that haunted my every aching breath, the place where all I wanted was to lay down and die. Rosie braved that darkness, she waded into that dark place with a helping hand and a smile. She gave light to the darkest nights, she was arms that I found comfort in when my world was falling around me, she was the person that meant the world to me. So, how was it possible that I was letting her slip away from me? How could this be happening to us? How could Emily be slowly breaking us apart? How could General Kane's daughter threaten her every moment of existence? And why, in Christ's sake, was I sitting here, doing _nothing_?!

A pair of blue eyes quickly find mine and I can't help but to allow the dry laugh to escape from my lips. She stands in front of me in a lovely gown as if she is actually the one who is making the appearance in front of Costa Luna, her hair pinned up and silver hoop earrings in her ears. If only I had not despised the woman so much, I would admit that she looked beautiful. A wicked smile quickly curls at her lips as she raises her eyebrows with a short laugh.

"Look at you. You look horrible. Weak. Pathetic," Emily chuckles as if she held the power over me now, as if she actually achieved something great by pointing out my weakness. I smile with a weak laugh, pushing myself forward in the chair, my eyes meeting hers and I felt the anger rush through my body.

"Yeah? Well at least I don't look like some weak, pathetic, psycho who can't get it through her head that Rosalinda Mason is never going to want to be with you. At least, I don't look like some little spoiled brat who didn't get enough love from Mommy and Daddy so I must take it out on every one else in the world who is actually happy. At least _I_ don't look like a bitch," I taunt with a laugh and the smile slides from her face. Instead this time she only snorts a dry laugh, her eyes quickly fluttering away from mine as I slowly stand in front of her, hoping that she would push me just a little more, hoping that she gave me a reason to tell her _exactly_ what I thought about her.

"Your wife and her country are being threatened by some unknown woman and you are standing here, insulting me? Really? Is that the best you can do? What if General Kane's daughter shows up at this event? Are you just going to stand there and tell her how spoiled and crazy she is? Come on, Carter. Just open your eyes. You are not meant to do this, you are not meant to be Rosalinda or be equal to the thrown. If you would just admit it, things would not have to be as nasty as they are between us," She points out as if it was always that obvious, as if I would admit it that easily just to stop her from telling me how horrible I am. No, she's wrong, I _am_meant to be with Rosie and she is not going to convience me otherwise.

"No, you're wrong. I am meant to be with Rosie, you know why? Because I love her, I'm in love with her and that is more than you can say about her. You want her because you know that you can't have her, you like the chase but once you have her, you wouldn't be happy. I'm happy with her and I know that she is everything that I could ever wish for, she is the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with and just because you can't see that, doesn't mean that it isn't true. I love her and you are not going to change that. Things are always going to be nasty between us, Emily, as long as you keep desperately trying to take my wife away from me," I state, my fists clinching at my waist and I cringe at the sharp, shooting pain that now races over my body from my injured hand. She looks at me, a smile curling at her lips as her eyes flood with anger, with passion and I know that she thinks that she is suddenly so much better than I am, she thinks I am a fool for even believing that Rosie could ever love me.

"Oh, honey. I don't have to try to take Rosalinda away, I could have her any day of the week and you know that," She smiles wickedly and I must stop, hold my breath and count to ten before I can even say anything to her. Sometimes, being equal to the thrown of Costa Luna had it's drawbacks, like now, when I wanted to smash her face in for even suggesting that she was better than me.

"You really think so, don't you? You honestly think that she would be with you instead of me?" I ask, the smile fading from my face and a sudden serious expression now taking it's place. What if she was right? My heart told me that I was foolish for even believing so in the first place but my mind just could not understand why Rosie, who could have any one in the world, would ever settle to be with someone like me? What if she truly wanted to be with Emily? The girl who understood everything about being in the royal family, the one who presented herself with charm and grace in front of every one? What if I was going to lose her to her anyway, no matter how hard I fought?

"I know so. I know that you can not possibly love her the way that I love her. I know that she is not happy with you but you are too naïve, to stubborn, to realize that you are only hurting her. You refuse to see that you are not what is best for her, yet I am," Emily states with a bright smile. I chuckle, swallowing the lump hard in my throat as I push myself forward, suddenly finding myself nose to nose with her, our eyes locked intensly and I don't even have to try to notice the fact that she is flinching.

"Yeah?" I ask, my jaw locking tightly, my nose flaring as the tears burn in my eyes. Yet these tears were different than all the rest, they were not tears of sadness, they were not tears of fear like they had been so many times, they were not tears of disgust or anger, but they were tears of hate. How dare she? How dare she judge me without even knowing me? How dare she say that she could love Rosalinda more than I ever could?

"Yeah," She replies with a laugh. I chuckle, swallowing hard, staring her down. What had happened to her that could make her this cold? What could have possibly happened in her past to make her such a horrible person? Why did Rosie not see the person that I saw? Why did she not see the complete disgustingly person that she was? I open my mouth to say something but the clearing of a throat catches the both of us off guard. Standing in the doorway was my wife, dressed in a beautiful light pink sequenced gown, clearly one of Mr. Elegante's new works. Her hair was spiraled in curls at her shoulders, a golden necklace hung perfectly around her neck and I can not control the smile that is curling at my lips.

"Excuse me, Emily, but I would like to speak to my wife alone, if you do not mind," Rosie asks and I watch the hurt appear in her blue eyes but as quick as I notice it, it is gone. Rosie's eyes quickly find mine as she blushes a soft pink and my heart races eratically in my chest for the sensation of her warm skin brushing against mine.

"Of course, your Highness. I will be fielding phone calls if you need me, apparently this impromptu meeting of yours is encouraging the press to become obsessed with knowing everything about the Queen who married another woman. Savages," She chuckles as she excuses herself from the room but I laugh silently to myself at how hypocritical it was for her to call them savages when she was no better than them. My eyes never leave Rosie's as I slowly make my way toward the beautiful woman, grateful for ever having her in my life.

"I'm sorry if I did something to upset you earlier. I noticed that you were upset when you came to tell me about this meeting and I can't help to think that I had something to do with it," I apologize and she sighs, her eyes breaking my gaze only for a short moment and my heart drops in my stomach, instantly missing the deep connection that we shared.

"It was not really you. It is just…I saw you with Thomas. You were laughing with him and I could not help but think of the last time that you laughed when you were with me. I could not recall the time, and it scared me. I could very well possibly be losing my country and it scared me to know that I could be losing you as well," Rosie exclaims with a sad sigh and it breaks my heart to know that she thinks so. I hate myself for putting the distance between us, for pushing her away when it was obvious that I need her more than the air that I breath, yet admitting that I was weak to her was simply not an option. I shake my head as I slowly take her hands in mine, intertwining my fingers around hers and my heart instantly melts at the warmth. What type of monster have I became to put such doubts in my wife?

"Is that what you think? Do you really think that I am happier with Thomas than I am with you?" I ask and she does not answer me, instead she stares absently at a spot on the floor and it was if she was taking my heart out of my chest and crushing it with her bare hands, "Oh, honey. No. No. That is not even remotely possible! I know that it seems like I have spending a lot of time with Thomas lately and that is probably my fault, it's just that you are always busy with Emily and sometimes, it's just easier to admit things to him. He reminds me of my father, of Ed, and I need that comfort sometimes. But I have no feelings for him what-so-ever, I am not happier with him than you, I love you. Baby, I am so sorry if I ever made you think that I didn't." I whisper, tears in my eyes and she simply nods her head with a weak laugh.

"No, I am sorry. I do not what is going on with me lately, I know that you love me, I know that you want to be with me. But just seeing you with Thomas…it sent me for a head spin. I guess, I am so afraid of losing my country, of losing my life but I can not lose you, either. Not to this girl nor to Thomas because you _are_ my life. I'm just…I am just so scared," She mumbles, her voice breaking as the tears fall effortlessly down her cheeks. I sigh, cursing myself for not doing a better job protecting her, for not promising her that everything was going to be okay, yet lying to my wife was something that I refused to do. Quickly, I wrap her in my arms, pulling her body close to mine as I softly play with her curls. She chokes out a cry as she buries her face in my shoulder and everything inside of me twists at knowing the pain that she is in.

"I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry. It's all my fault. There should be something that I can do to make all of this better for you but I don't know what. I should have done a better job with protecting you from all of this and now if anything happens to you or this country, it is all my fault and I can't forgive myself for it. I won't. I'm sorry, I am sorry that you are hurting and I'm sorry that I've failed you," I cry and she shakes her head, pulling away from me as she allows her fingertips to tremble against my cheek and I melt into her warm, tender touch.

"This is not your fault. You could not have possibly known that General Kane had a daughter, nor could you have known that she was going to come after me for having him placed in prison. You are doing an amazing job right now, trying to find her, making sure that I am safe and that I am happy. Do not think that you are not because you are doing all that you can and it is enough, trust me. And you have not failed me, you are still standing here, are you not? The only way that you could ever possibly fail me is if you walked away, if you simply left me here alone," Rosie exclaims, her voice trailing off in a whisper and I try to deny the tears that are forming hot and quickly in my tears.

"I'm not going anywhere," I whisper in a cry and she nods her head with a small smile.

"Good because I need you, Carter Mason. I will not always admit it and sometimes I may act like I do not but I always have and I always will. I need you here, with me for the rest of my life and I am not about to let some wreck of a daughter destroy that for us. I love you, that is forever. You can never fail me, you can never let me down, believe in that. Believe in my love for you if you believe in nothing else," She states and suddenly my lips are colliding hard with hers. I can taste the bittersweet tears on her lips as I slip my bottom lip under her tongue carefully, grasping tightly at her waist. She pulls away abruptly with a short, quiet laugh as she heaves hard for a breath.

"You are amazing, you know that?" I smile brightly at her and she blushes a warm, colorful pink. Sometimes I wonder how she does it, how she stays so modest when every one in this country is practically throwing themselves at her. I wonder how she could ever believe that she is not a perfect God sent angel to save all of us from the darkness.

"Thank you. Now, come. They are waiting for us," She holds her hand out toward me and it takes me a moment to gather myself before I slowly slip my palm in hers, instantly feeling the reality of the moment colliding hard into me, like a wave colliding hard into a shore. I glance at her as she smiles weakly at me, we could handle this as long as we had each other, I was sure. Now it was my turn to be the strong tower that Rosie had always been for me.

_

* * *

_

Every one in Costa Luna was gathered in the plaza in front of the palace, awaiting to hear her speak. I take a long look at all of them, at their faces that held wonder and curiosity. How could we tell them? How could we tell them that their lives are being threatened with every single passing second? How could I admit to my own failure? I notice the young women's faces as they clutch tightly to their child at their side, the little boys that conversed with each other over lizards while the little girls mentioned something about their dolls. I noticed the man that was holding tight to his wife, pride in his eyes. I notice the woman who was holding her baby in her arms, watching us with careful eyes, how could I tell her? How could I tell she may never get the chance to watch her baby grow and change with the following years?

My knees practically give under me as I slowly take the stand with Rosie, she gives my hand a tight squeeze, her eyes meeting mine with a careful smile. I simply swallow hard, nodding my head in understanding as she takes the platform with a weak smile. This was all my fault, this whole destructive news, I was a _horrible_ person for letting this destroy her world.

"Good afternoon every one. I am pleased to see that you all could join me today, I do apologize for the sudden urgency of this meeting, I understand that some of you have previous requirements and I will try to consider a more suitable time next occasion. But this is one of those moments that even I could not plan, I have some news that I must share with you, news that breaks my heart, news that I debated keeping from you but as your Queen, I know that I must prepare you for all scenarios that may present themselves. I can not lead you blindly into this, for it is not fair to any of you," She states so strongly and I watch her in complete admiration, she was so strong, so sure of herself and I can't help but wonder where that confidence goes when it is just me and her in the bedroom.

"A couple of years ago, General Kane chose to seize Costa Luna, I am sure that many of you remember this. Twas the reason that I fled the country, it was the reason that I had to stay with Major Mason, the reason that I met my wife. It has come to pass that the situation is presenting itself again, none of us were aware that General Kane would have such an aggressive family. According to my sources, his daughter is currently trying to seize Costa Luna from us, whilst we are trying to get her into custody, we have not succeeded in our attempts yet. I do not want any one to panic, because I assure you that I do have this under control. I am working very closely with Carter who is in the protection program, we are working very hard to try to catch her, but I must warn you that she may try to work her way into your lives. So, I tell you now, be aware of any one who is not your family. Do not panic, do not make a scene because that may place you in more obvious danger than you are in, yet be careful within whom your trust lies. I am truly sorry, people of Costa Luna. I wish that I could provide you with a much stable environment than what I am," She states, her face so solemn and strong. The people immediately begin to whisper among themselves and I watch the hurt quickly flood in her eyes.

"May I say something?" I whisper to her and she looks at me with a wrinkled brow.

"I do not know what else there is to say, Carter. I have already warned them of General Kane's daughter existence, I have told them everything that I know. I do not see the reason that you wish to speak to them," She whispers back to me and I smile at her, batting my eyelashes carefully, knowing that it would melt her hard exterior that she is trying to keep up for me.

"Trust me, Rosie. That's all I can ask of you now," I mumble back and she only nods her head as she slowly steps aside from the podium, allowing me to take the stand. I look over the clearly frantic people, the people who were now afraid for their lives, the people that meant the world to Rosie. I sigh as I look at her, swallowing hard as I try to keep the tears from falling from my eyes.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault, I should have done a better job protecting not only my wife but the people of Costa Luna as well. It is my job, and I should have known that General Kane's daughter existed, I should have known that she would seek revenge but I didn't. I was so caught up in the fact that I was marrying the person that I have been in love with since I was sixteen years old, I was so happy with her, and I stopped paying attention for a moment. One small moment and that is when she chose to make herself known. I don't want you to blame Rosalinda, I don't want to know that you think that this is her fault, that she has lead your country to this because she hasn't. She has done everything right, it is I that has failed you," I speak so elegantly, so strong and forcibly that I surprise my own self at the lack of weakness that is present in my voice. Rosie's face hardens as she quickly takes my hand, catching my attention from the crowd and I notice the shock that is written on her face.

"Carter, you must stop this! It is not your fault, we have already stated this. They need not know of it, of your weakness. Come, I'll explain to them that you are simply blaming yourself for lack of something to do. You do not have to do this," Rosie explains and I smile weakly at her with a simple nod of my head.

"You're wrong, you see I **do **have to do this. Because you're right, they do deserve to know of everything. This not only effects you and me, anymore but them as well. I can't pretend like it isn't the truth, I can't lie to them, it's not right and it's not fair. Maybe you are a little biased to believe that it isn't my fault because you are my wife, but the people of Costa Luna may see it another way and I can't hide it from them," I explain and she groans with a whimper simply nodding her head as she once again, joins me by my side.

"There should have been something that I should have done to make sure that this didn't happen again. I watched my father take General Kane into custody, I watched him place him in prison for the rest of his life and honestly, I thought it was over. I may have been very naïve to think so, but I didn't think that Costa Luna would ever be in harm again, I mean, it _is_ a small country and it isn't on most maps. Maybe it was in thinking that I failed you. I should have been aware of General Kane's daughter, I should have known that she would come after Rosalinda but I am doing all that I can as of the moment. The Program is currently providing us with all of the information that they have, they are providing a safe escape for Rosalinda yet again and they are trying to cease this attack. I'm doing all that I know how, all that my father has taught me to do. I promise you that I am _not_ going to let her take this country away from you, nor am I going to let her take away your Queen. My loyalty lies with Rosalinda, it lies with the people of Costa Luna and she is not going to walk in here and take all of this away from you. This is not only my wife's country anymore but it is mine and it is yours and she is not going to do this. No. I won't allow it. I will do all I can to protect you, to protect Rosalinda, even if it means giving my life to do so. I know that I don't deserve it but I have to ask you to trust me now, trust in my love for this country, my love for Rosalinda and have faith that I will seize her before any harm is done to this country," I state, my jaw locking tightly as the tears blind my eyes. The crowd stays silent for a moment before the applaud and I can not stop the smile that is spreading on my face. I chuckle as I step away from the podium, intertwining my fingers around Rosie's who only laughs with a bright smile.

"I am so proud of you," Rosie whispers and I chuckle as I lean over, placing a soft kiss upon her cheek. She giggles softly, more to herself than to me and my heart nearly skips a beat at the sound of the beautiful melody. I watch as she twirls into the palace, entering her room with a quiet laugh and I can not stop the beaming grin on my face. I notice Emily who is standing in the corner of the room, her arms crossed, her eyes fixed solely upon me. I don't say anything to her, instead she comes to me, her blonde hair bouncing with every step and she taunts a laugh.

"Any day of the week, Carter Mason. And you know that. You just wait and see, Rosalinda is going to realize exactly how much of a hot mess that you are and she is going to come running to me, I am going to wrap her in my arms and tell her exactly how much I care for her. You will lose her," Emily states with a smile and I feel my insides twist at the sound of her voice.

"Fuck you," I whisper and she only laughs hysterically before she looks back at me, her blue eyes sparkling with hate and frustration.

"You wish," She laughs before she disappears up the winding stairwell. I groan as I slam my fist hard against the wall, cringing as the sharp pain once again makes it appearance known but instead of crying, or breaking, I only sink onto the stairwell, pulling my knees to my chest as I

* * *

The thunder rolls in the sky above us as the rain beats down softly upon our roof. I love thunderstorms, I always have, ever since I was a little girl because there was something precious about them. There was something about rain that made it magical, something that made the entire town glow when the rain droplets stop falling and the entire world is in silence. Rain is the only thing that can silence my mind now, the only thing that can truly put me at ease.

I lay in the bed beside of a sleeping Rosie watching as the sky is alive to the sounds of thunder and the color of fluorescent lightening. It almost reminds me of being home in Louisiana during the summer when we have the worst storms, it reminds me of the time that Rosie crawled into bed beside of me because she was scared of the storm. I smile at the bittersweet memory, my heart still fluttering at the thought of her warm skin against mine, just as it did that night. Sometimes she was just far to precious, far to innocent to know the evils that she has experienced, evils that I should have saved her from. I feel the tears welding in my eyes and I swallow the cry hard in my throat.

I softly raise up in the bed, brushing my hair away from my face as I slip from the bed, tying my hair up in a messy pony tail, as I grab my sneakers from under the bed. Rosie restlessly wiggles herself in the empty bed as her brown eyes softly flutter open. I smile at her as I grab my hoodie from the floor, burying my Ipod into my pockets. She watches me for a moment, before she slowly sits up in the bed as well, brushing her hair away from her face as she listens to the rain.

"Where are you going?" She asks so simply, so quietly that it almost makes me feel bad for leaving her. Yet I also know, I would not be able to sleep nor rest until I knew that General Kane's daughter was in captivity, until I knew that there wasn't a chance that I could wake up in the morning without a wife. I could not lie there and continue to roll, to toss and turn and keep her from getting the much needed sleep that she deserves.

"I'm going to taken a run. I need to clear my head before I can even begin to worry about getting sleep. It's been an eventful two days, I think I just need time to process it all," I explain to her and she does not say anything, instead she watches me with curious eyes as I slip the hoodie over my body, burying my hands into the long sleeves.

"But it is raining. You will get wet and then you will catch a cold or possibly pneumonia. I can not stand knowing that you are sick and there is nothing that I can do to help you. Stay, please? At least until the storm passes?" She asks and I chuckle quietly to myself. I lean down as I place my lips carefully upon hers, taking the moment to mesmerize the taste of her lips against mine, to feel the world come to a spinning stop, the whole fireworks in the sky above me type of feeling. I pull away, leaving my forehead against hers as I place a soft kiss upon her nose.

"I'll be okay, I promise. I won't be long, you won't even know that I'm gone. I love you," I laugh as I turn to leave, I hear her soft voice call out to me.

"I love you too, Carter. More than anything," She whispers before sliding back under the covers and it is just enough to melt my heart, it is just enough to make me wish that I would crawl under the covers with her and tell her how amazing she is. But I can't, I have things to figure out, decisions that I need to make and I know that staying in that bed next to her, I would accomplish nothing.

_

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_

The rain is pelting against my face but I don't even care anymore, the pain is fresh and it takes away the constant throbbing of doubt and guilt that is washing over my body every time that I think back to the look on Rosie's face that night when I told her. I run down the familiar track, blinded by the rain, by the sharp lightening that traced the hard grey clouds in the sky above me and blinded by the tears that I saw in Rosie's eyes today.

I don't know what I'm going to do, how I am going to make this better for her. I don't know how I am going to make her feel safe again, how I'm going to convince her that even though General Kane's daughter is still out there, that she is safe as long as she is with me. How can I convince my wife of something that even I didn't believe? My father never told me that it would be this hard, yet, my father had never fallen in love with his subject. He had always been loyal to my mother, yet I was also very aware of how the program effected them, how the distance slowly drove them apart. I refuse to allow that to happen to Rosie and I, but little was I aware, it was already happening to us and Emily was thriving for every second that we were apart.

What if she was right? What if Rosie and I were not meant to be together? What if she ends up realizing that she deserves someone who knows how to handle the royal scene, who can make sure that she is happy and that she is safe? It may not be Emily that she turns to but what if she turns to someone else? My heart can't handle not being with her, she is the person who makes me mushy, the person who makes me sound like an overused hallmark card, she is the person who comes with dynamite when I put up my walls to keep her out. She is the only person who I have ever truly been in love with and I honestly do not think that I can handle this life without her.

I pump my legs harder, faster, hoping that if I kept running that I could leave this whole situation behind us, hoping that if I ran fast enough that I could go back to the days that Rosie and I were actually happy together. Now we were plagued by reality, by secrets, by truth and I knew that it was driving us apart, that I was driving us apart. I would give anything to go back to the summers we spent in Louisiana, when she told me that she loved me even if society viewed it as being wrong, I'd give anything to go back to our first kiss, how it nearly stopped my heart and knocked me off my feet. But times were different now, so very, _very_ different. I ran as the tears fell down my cheeks, the sobs erupted from my body as Seether's 'No Shelter' blasted in my ears, giving me a soundtrack of lonely, a soundtrack of hurt.

_Today, you seem a little far away_

_I hate that I don't have the words to say_

_I bored with all the little games you play_

_A cage is never going to make me stay_

_If we don't help ourselves, we'll fall_

_I find no comfort in this world_

_I never find my way, in a broken mind_

_No shelter for me_

_I never compensate just to keep you mine_

_No shelter for me_

_Awake, I need a little comforting_

_I break, my mind is sick of wondering_

_I'm yours, I love it when I'm suffering_

_Too late, I don't believe in anything_

_If we don't help ourselves, we'll fall_

_I find no comfort in this world_

I stop to catch my breath, pulling the earphones from my ear as I listen to the silence of the world around me, as the rain falls around us. I heave hard for a breath as I double over, allowing the cries to escape from me, allowing the tears to soak my face because I had nothing to hide here, no secrets, no pride. I cried out of fear, out of anger, I cried for myself but more importantly, I cried for Rosie and the fact that I had no idea of what to do to stop the pain that ached her every breath.

"Shame, is it not? You can not even protect your own wife from her worst enemy. Shame on you, really. A complete stranger could do a better job than you," A voice calls out to me, sending chills over my spine. I turn around, glancing through the dark, down pour of rain to find myself alone. I wrinkle my brow as I swallow hard, trying to find my voice, but it lost somewhere between my tears and my breaking heart.

"It is also a shame that you have left her unprotected tonight, any one could just snatch her or cause her physical pain and there would be nothing you can do to help her. Truly, you are not a very good wife considering you left her. But you were right about something today, it is your fault that this happening to her. It is. And it will also be your fault when you lose her to me, the infamous daughter," The voice continues to talk to me and frantically I search through the rain trying to find where and who it was coming from, ignoring the rolling thunder in the drunken sky.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" I screamed into the rain but the voice only chuckles with a sick laugh, causing my insides to twist and my fists form tightly at my side.

"You will lose her because you do not deserve her and certainly you do not deserve Costa Luna either. The country and Rosalinda will fall and it will be because of you, how can you live with yourself? Honestly? She is your wife, damn it. You are supposed to give your life for her and you are out here, doing nothing to help her. It is a shame that she thinks she can not do better than some stupid little bitch who worked in a bait shop," The voice continues to talk and I notice a figure coming toward me, I squint through the rain trying to make out exactly who it is.

"But it matters not. For, tonight Rosalinda will be mine. I will comfort her, I will dry her tears and I will have her. Because I _can_have her, any day that I want her because I love her more than you ever will and I can convince her of this. You will lose her to me, Carter Mason. I will make sure of it," The voice states as the lightening creates the color to the figure that has been approaching me. The lightening flickers against her stilled face, against the blueness of her sparkling eyes, of the evil grin that is on her face and my body shivers at the sight of her.

"Emily," I breath out in a short gasp and she only laughs with a shrug of her shoulders.

"What can I say? You were never the smart one, Carter. It is so sad that you have figured out my secret and you do not have the chance to tell any one. You know, I hate blood to be on my hands but oh well. I think you do have this coming, don't you? Besides if I just let you go away, it would be a little anticlimactic and Rosalinda would not collapse in tears into my arms if her wife actually lives, would she? I am sorry that it must come to this, Carter. Truly, I am. But you chose this," She states and the lightening once again brings her figure to live, I notice that she is holding a large bar in her hand, I gasp, as I flinch. Before I can even say anything else to defend myself, I felt the large bar collide hard with my head, I can taste the blood in my mouth, I can feel the red sticky substance trail every feature of my body. My knees give under me as I collapse onto the ground, the bar continuing to collide hard with the parts of my body, but truly I am numb by now. Suddenly, the pain is gone, the rain traces every inch of my body as my heart slowly beats to a stilling silence.

"Rosie," I whisper into the rain as the darkness slowly clouds over my vision. I struggle to regain my consciousness but the darkness continues to over take my senses, I whisper her name once again as I slowly go limp, giving into the darkness as her bright, smiling face is the last thing I can see.

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